A question recently posted on Quora addressed a fear many decision makers have for deploying open data technologies in local governments. Pete Forde, co-founder of BuzzData, explained why common misconceptions about data privacy and security can prevent local governments from optimizing open data resources to improve citizen engagement, operational efficiency and long-term growth:
Pete Forde:
In most cases, what people say is “liability” but the real answer is that they are terrified of what they don’t know:
- It could be that preparing data requires skills or time/resources that aren’t in surplus
- It could be that the data is buried under layers of bureaucracy and red tape
- It could be that someone’s job security is tied to being the gatekeeper of the data
- It could be that the data is messy and would be a huge effort to prepare, especially if it contains sensitive information
- It could be that the data doesn’t exist, at least in an accessible digital form — for example, politicians love to scan printouts and save them as PDFs when they want to make accessing “free” data as laborious as possible
- It could be that all of the data was lost due to ephemeral IT backup strategies
- It could be that the person you asked is busy or just lazy
- It could be that the person you asked doesn’t understand what you want or trust your benevolent stated intentions, which are abstract to most non-technical types
- It could be that the data would reveal illegal activity or government secrets and there are powers bigger than you that won’t let the truth get out :)
However, the one that really gets me is that people seem to exhaust themselves thinking about how ridiculous, terrible things could happen if there was transparency.
For people that don’t have control of the tools people use to manipulate and understand data, it’s terrifying to consider that others might have a competitive advantage that could embarrass you, take your money away or make you lose your job.
Once people realize that there are new uses to something they’d written off as boring and mundane, they often begin to fear what they can’t yet imagine.