The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate this week published the report "Nederland Digitaal - The Dutch vision on data sharing between companies. The report sets out the government's vision for data sharing between companies.
Data are increasingly important in the economy and society. Not only big technology companies like Google and Facebook are exploiting data. Dutch
(SME) entrepreneurs and consumers also benefit from the economic and social opportunities that data offer. Think of potato farmers who increase their yields by monitoring data about their soil and crops, of doctors who make better diagnoses, and of car manufacturers who identify earlier whether a car is defective.
Important here is the possibility of data sharing between companies. This data sharing is crucial to capitalize on the opportunities of data for the Netherlands. If a potato farmer can use data from many more farmers, he can improve his business processes. If patient data from multiple healthcare agencies can be used, doctors can make better diagnoses and patients need to fill out fewer forms. And if, for example, repairmen, roadside assistance and insurers also have access to data from automobiles, they too can improve their services based on that data. At the same time, it is imperative that data sharing be done responsibly - respecting the rights and legitimate interests of all parties involved, such as privacy, autonomy and confidential business information.
The government has an important role - both within the Netherlands and abroad - in data sharing between companies. First, the government can promote the sharing and reuse of data in the event of market failure: if market parties are unable to organize promising data sharing among themselves or if dominant providers or platforms with unique access to certain data do not want to share this data with other parties. Second, the government has a role in limiting risks in areas such as privacy and cybersecurity, as shown by the scandal involving data on Facebook users held by the analytics firm Cambridge Analytica, and, for example, when it comes to confidential business information.
The vision was announced in the Dutch Digitalization Strategy and responds to the widely felt desire for clarity on the short- and long-term role of the Dutch government in the (responsible) promotion of data sharing between companies.
Click on the link below to view the report Nederland Digitaal - The Dutch view on data sharing between companies .
Source: Rijksoverheid
Annex: Parliament letter - The Dutch view on data sharing between companies
