Following the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations earlier this year, we are now more aware than ever of the proliferation of information produced through every day interactions, the nature of its storage and our rights to protect that information. But as a research community, those in the social sciences appear to be less aware of the individual right to access public information through Freedom of Information requests (FOI) and their potential to generate unique data. It has been reported that the majority of requests made since the introduction of this right have been from an “inquisitive general public”, demonstrating the lack of interest from researchers. Continue reading →