Research carried out by the University of Southampton (SOTON) within RAISE Suite inspired an interactive public engagement activity presented at the British Science Festival 2026, helping festival visitors explore how privacy, trust and negotiation can shape decisions about personal data sharing.
On 19 September 2026, our partner, University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) presented “Data on Your Terms – The Coffee Edition” at the British Science Festival in Southampton, UK.
The British Science Festival is one of the UK’s major public science engagement events, bringing researchers and the public together to explore science, technology and engineering through interactive activities and conversations. Hosted by the University of Southampton in September 2026, the festival provided an opportunity to make complex research accessible to non-specialist audiences.
A simple way to explore data sharing
The interactive game invited visitors to consider a fictional offer: sharing selected personal information in exchange for a coffee discount.
But instead of treating data sharing as a simple “accept” or “decline” decision, participants were encouraged to think more carefully about the terms of the exchange.
They could decide what information they were willing to share, explore conditions governing how their data could be used, consider issues such as purpose limitation and deletion periods, and assess the trustworthiness of the fictional organisation requesting their information.
At the end of the experience, participants could choose to accept the agreement, renegotiate its terms or walk away.
The central message was simple: sharing data does not necessarily have to be a yes-or-no decision. The value of data, the conditions under which it is used and the organisation being trusted with it all matter.
Connection to RAISE Suite and DataPACT
“Data on Your Terms” was inspired by research themes explored through RAISE Suite and DataPACT, including privacy, trust, negotiation and the conditions under which data can be shared and used.
As a RAISE Suite partner, the University of Southampton contributes to work on an ODRL engine that supports the machine-readable expression and evaluation of data-use policies. These ideas helped shape the concept behind the game and provided a practical way to introduce complex questions about data governance to a wider public audience.
The activity was developed as a public engagement experience inspired by this research.
Bringing research closer to the public
The activity was presented through interactive computer screens, a printed poster and discussions with members of the University of Southampton team.
Researchers guided visitors through the different choices and used the results as a starting point for conversations about meaningful consent, privacy conditions, organisational trust and the value individuals place on their personal data.
Across the wider ECS programme at the British Science Festival, organisers reported 424 visitors during the day.
Try Data On Your Terms:
By transforming research ideas emerging from SOTON’s work in RAISE Suite into an interactive public experience, the activity provided an opportunity to make complex data governance concepts more understandable while encouraging conversations about how people might want their data to be used.