Sixty years of social science data sharing: legal and ethical frameworks in practice at the UK Data Archive

As the UK Data Archive, the lead partner of the UK Data Service, approaches its 60th anniversary, it stands as a proof of sustained innovation in data sharing for social sciences. Continuously funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (now part of UK Research and Innovation) since its inception, the Archive has pursued a clear mission: to build a collection of data valuable to researchers and to negotiate access to meet their needs. Central to this mission is balancing wider data access with long-term usability while addressing the practical, legal, and ethical challenges of data deposit.The early years involved significant negotiation with data creators, who often feared early publication by others, critical scrutiny, or misinterpretation of their data. These challenges were counterbalanced by the benefits of archiving, preservation, managing access, ensuring citation, and, more recently, assigning DOIs, while offering support throughout the process.At the centre of these efforts is a robust legal and ethical framework. This ensures depositors have the rights to deposit data, protects their rights, and upholds standards around privacy, consent, and responsible use. Negotiated licence agreements align depositor goals with user needs, ensuring data are as open as possible, with restrictions applied where necessary.This presentation, delivered as part of the 2025 European Survey Research Association (ESRA) Conference, reviews the evolution of the three-tier licence and access framework over the past 60 years and its adaptation to emerging challenges. We examined the key role of legal and ethical standards in balancing openness with restrictions, and how these principles intersect with broader open access frameworks and repositories for the social sciences.