A Framework for Public Bodies for Managing the Secure and Appropriate Release of Open Source Data

This paper outlines current research in progress for the creation of a set of privacy heuristics, incorporated into a framework for privacy preserving open source publishing of public body information. It explains how HCI may result in privacy being compromised if information is published without first considering what privacy implications such publication might have. The paper then goes on to explain the meaning of open government and open government data publishing. This is followed by a brief overview of the UK statutory landscape that any publication has to conform to. An outline is also provided of existing guidance available to public bodies, together with an explanation of the research approach and methodology utilised in conducting the research. Initial findings show that statutory constraints may get in the way of workflow and that no formal quality checks are currently in place to support open source publishing of public data in the UK.