Discussing Data

Deliberative workshops with public members: Establishing trust in the use of synthetic data

Background

Synthetic data is made-up data that looks and behaves like real data, but it doesn’t include any personal information about real people. It’s designed to copy some patterns and features of real datasets so that researchers can practise using it, test their ideas, or develop new tools, all without risking anyone’s privacy.

Some synthetic data is more detailed and closer to the real data than others. The more realistic it is, the higher the risk that someone might guess who a real person is. “Low-fidelity” synthetic data is the least detailed, so it’s the safest when it comes to protecting people’s identities.

Organisations like the NHS and UK Government departments already share some of this low-fidelity synthetic data with researchers. Even though there’s been a lot of work to promote its use, there hasn’t been much public input on whether people support it or not.

Public consultation

In summer 2024, we ran a large consultation with members of the public from all parts of the UK. The goal was to agree on a list of recommendations for how data owners should make and share synthetic data, and how they should talk to the public about it.

We worked with a community group called Egality to make sure we included people with different backgrounds and life experiences. Forty-four people were invited to take part in a series of four workshops. They discussed the benefits and risks of using synthetic data in research, whether it should be used more widely, and the best ways to explain it to others.

Recommendations

With support from experts and two public advisers, the group helped create ten clear recommendations across five areas:

• What synthetic data is
• Why it’s used
• How it’s made
• Who can use it and how
• How to explain it clearly to others

These recommendations will help organisations release synthetic data in a way that is trustworthy and responsible.

We also created useful materials like an infographic, a booklet explaining the study, and short audio interviews with the public members and researchers. Links to these can be found on this page.

By sharing this work, we hope future decisions about synthetic data will reflect what the UK public thinks and expects.

Videos

• Interview Highlights - https://youtu.be/dyZV1S75b24
• Researchers Interview - https://youtu.be/-q4UEY8rYHM
• Public Contributors Interview - https://youtu.be/fgA10ZL3krA
• Public Members Interview - https://youtu.be/qxq2uQcCt6E
• Public Member Interview - https://youtu.be/QEjsfUZDzyM