This Spring newsletter includes a call to action on EU data protection law, upcoming events and deadlines, and opportunities to get involved in our growing networks. We hope you enjoy your Easter break!
Short Survey on Data Donation Practices
We invite you to take part in a short survey on the challenges researchers face in data donation studies and their implications for open science practices. Your input will contribute to the development of a preregistration template for data donation. The survey takes about 5 minutes and includes an optional follow-up interview with €50 compensation.
Study led by Valerie Hase, Anna Kümpel, Florian Keusch & Laura Boeschoten
The Data Donation Institutional Network and the PhD Network have both held their first meetings. The Institutional Network is initiating collaborative research projects and helping to organise the broader data donation community. The PhD Network is focused on fostering informal meetups and community building, supporting early career scholars.
Protecting Data Donation for Science: A Call to Action
Information law expert Dr. Mr. Heleen Janssen has written an open letter to national politicians, legislators, and relevant European Commission committees, raising serious concerns about a proposed change to EU data protection law.
At issue is the proposed amendment to Article 12(5) of the GDPR, part of the so-called Digital Omnibus package. If adopted, this amendment would restrict citizens' right of access to their own data, and with it, their ability to voluntarily donate that data to scientific research. Heleen's letter warns that this would effectively cut off a unique and valuable source for researchers across a wide range of fields, including those studying systemic risks to the EU, the Netherlands, and society more broadly.
The letter urges decision-makers to take these concerns seriously and to remove the amendment from the proposal before it moves forward. We encourage anyone across the EU to raise this issue with their own legislators, parliamentarians, or ministers where possible.
Data Donation Symposium 2026: Abstract Deadline 30 April!
The deadline to submit an abstract for the 5th Data Donation Symposium is 30 April 2026, so now is the time to get your submission in!
The symposium will take place on 1–2 October 2026 at the Weizenbaum Institute in Berlin, a leading research hub on the societal implications of digitalisation. There is no participation fee, and the event is in-person.
The symposium brings together researchers, practitioners, and students to explore the future of data donation, and welcomes submissions that are empirical, theoretical, methodological, or policy-oriented. Topics include challenges around informed consent and representation, the regulatory landscape (including the DMA and data portability rights), methodological innovations for analysing donated datasets, and strategies for linking data donations with other data sources.
The D3I Team organizes a short course on Monday the 13th of July at the IPDNL (International Population Data Linkage Network) Conference at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
As part of the Macroscope project, there are currently multiple vacancies open to work on research infrastructure development related to digital trace and media data at the University of Amsterdam. Closing date is April 10, so if you are interested reply soon!
A vacancy for a product manager in Data Harvesting Tools at Utrecht University will open in May. Reach out to l.boeschoten@uu.nl to receive the vacancy when it opens.
Research Engineer
Online Media Infrastructure University of Amsterdam
