uk-gap-map_take action

No public funder for PETs deployment or privacy infrastructure maintenance

openclaimed ·shipped ·
What is missing

The UK produces world-class privacy-enhancing-technologies guidance (ICO 2023, world-first) and research (REPHRAIN, EPSRC), and DSIT/ICO shipped a PETs cost-benefit tool (Nov 2024) after the ICO's own report found adoption persistently low. But translation money is one-off: the UK–US PETs prize (2022–23) ended; the NHS–US National Cancer Institute PETs pilot (2025) has no scale-up vehicle; and no UK body pays for maintenance of open-source privacy infrastructure the way Germany's Sovereign Tech Fund does. Innovate UK has no standing PETs programme.

Why it matters

PETs are the technical resolution of the UK's 'growth vs privacy' dilemma, enabling data use without data exposure, and a plausible export strength. Guidance without procurement pull or deployment funding has demonstrably failed to move adoption for three years.

What would fill it

A DSIT/Innovate UK PETs adoption fund (~£20–50m): procurement-linked challenges in NHS/ONS/HMRC data sharing plus maintenance grants for open-source privacy tooling, or a privacy strand of any future UK sovereign tech fund.

// Build together: Counterparty: DSIT/Innovate UK or a willing data-holding body (NHS, ONS, HMRC); a philanthropy-seeded PETs challenge with one public partner needs no legislation.

Why urgency 2

PETs could dissolve the growth-versus-privacy dilemma but translation money is one-off with no standing programme; a fund is straightforward yet moderate-stakes and lacks any time pressure.

THE FIRST STEP · SMALL ENOUGH TO SAY YES TO
A 120-day pilot on one existing, stalled data-sharing use case: define the privacy constraint, run the challenge, publish the evaluation jointly. No procurement commitment beyond the pilot.
sources: ico.org.uk · gov.uk · gds.blog.gov.uk · rephrain.ac.uk
ATTEMPTS · 0 ACTIVEnon-exclusive
// nobody on this yet: be first
// no account: your claim posts publicly and lands in the thread below
COUNTERPARTY WANTED
government-bodies If you can convene one, open the dialogue →
THREAD · 0 POSTSremark42 threads launch soon · replies via github until thenopen on github ↗
// quiet so far. the dossier is the first post: reply below or take the gap.

Distinct but adjacent

№013State-led

No UK Sovereign Tech Fund for maintaining critical open source infrastructure

Germany pays the maintainers of critical code. Britain free-rides.

№018Build now

No UK small-grants vehicle for public-interest internet technology (NGI analogue)

Europe's small-grant tap for public-interest tech has closed. Britain never had one.

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№126State-led

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Your genome is protected by a gentleman's agreement with the insurance industry.

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No UK data broker register or deletion mechanism

Companies you've never heard of trade your data. Not even the government has a list.

Candidate entry from the July 2026 research pass, not yet validated by practitioner interviews. Added 2026-07-07 · last verified 2026-07-07 · review by 2027-01-07. Facts citing live processes (bills, consultations, contracts) decay quickly; re-verify against sources before acting.