Ethical data collection and data privacy
When you do audience research, it is important to ensure that you’ll take an ethical approach that respects your audience's privacy and protects their data. Here are some things to consider when working with audience data.
Code of conduct for research integrity
The Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (Opens an external link) sets out principles for a good researcher to follow. These are honesty, scrupulousness, transparency, independence and responsibility. It also sets out 61 standards (Opens an external link)to follow that take you through the research design process all through to communicating your research.
Principles of ethical data collection
- Does no harm. Respects the confidentiality and anonymity of respondents, also avoiding physical and emotional harm and risk of upset, as well as reputational damage. This is particularly important in any research methods where visual outputs or written texts are used.
- Is independent and impartial. The research will be objective, with no conflicts of interest.
- Is high quality and has integrity. All data will be used and has a purpose, and is collected according to good practice and sector standards.
- Uses informed consent. Anyone sharing their data knows what it is being collected for and what will be done with it, and they take part voluntarily with no coercion.
- Acknowledges ownership and copyright. This is a factor to consider if outputs are produced with a research-purpose in mind, e.g. with arts-based research that requires anonymity.
- Abides by data privacy legislation. Read more below.
The Data Ethics Canvas from the Open Data Institute provides insights into limitations in your data (and implications), minimising harm, rights and data ownership, and openness and transparency.
Zelf aan de slag met data? De Taskforce Publieksdata ontwikkelde een handig stappenplan voor het gebruik van publieksdata.
Data privacy protection
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the strongest data privacy regulations in the world. You’ve probably heard of it already because of what it means for communication with your beneficiaries. Yet it also informs how we collect primary evaluation and impact assessment data, particularly if this is personal data. Anonymous data collection - where you collect data that means that the respondent is not identifiable - is not affected by GDPR. However, it is good practice to follow this anyway just in case personal data is given accidentally by respondents. This has implications for:
- The data collection tools you use.
- The privacy statement that your respondents have to agree to.
- What you can do with the data.
- How and for how long you keep the data you collected.
Read more about working GDPR-proof.
Helpful resources
Below you find some helpful resources about GDPR and data collection. In doubt over your use of data? Always get legal advice and consult an expert.
- Data protection under GDPR - Your Europe (Opens an external link)
- Drafting a privacy statement | Business.gov.nl (Opens an external link) (in Dutch)
- GDPR Guide to National Implementation: Netherlands | White & Case LLP (Opens an external link)
- On Digital Ethics for Cultural Organisations (Opens an external link) - ENCC working group and digital ethics toolkit (2023)
- Manifesto - PublicSpaces (Opens an external link)
