The Challenges of Data Sharing

Funders promote data sharing to increase transparency and enable new analyses with existing data, re-analysis, and new publications. Although evidence of these instrumental impacts of data sharing is lacking, there is a compelling case to share anthropological data as intrinsically valuable public cultural goods and to inform practice, including during public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the potential values of sharing data need to be balanced against the risks of harms associated with the identification of participants, institutions, and communities. The expectation that data should be shared needs to be coupled with funding to develop the principles, resources, and guidance to support optimally ethical and valuable approaches for sharing anthropological data.