Data sources and licensing
Last updated
Everything we produce starts with primary sources. This page explains how we choose them, the terms we use them under, and how we handle the personal data they can contain. It covers all of our trading names.
Where our data comes from
We work mainly from public sources:
- official statistics
- published judgments and decisions of courts and tribunals
- legislation
- public registers and other information published by public bodies
Where public sources are not enough, we may also use data from other organisations under licence.
Licences
- Public sector information. Most of the public sector information we use is published under the Open Government Licence. We follow its terms, including acknowledging the source.
- Court judgments. Judgments published by The National Archives are available under the Open Justice Licence. Some uses, including computational analysis of judgments, need a separate licence from The National Archives, and we get that licence before we do that kind of work.
- Other data. When we use data from other organisations, including commercial providers, we use it under licence and within its terms.
- Credit. We acknowledge our sources and the licences we use them under in what we publish.
Personal data in public records
Public records can contain personal data. Being public does not put it outside data protection law. We use it only where we have a lawful basis and a clear purpose, we use no more of it than we need, and we respect reporting restrictions and anonymity orders. Our privacy notice and data protection page explain your rights.
Accuracy
Primary sources sometimes contain errors or gaps. We check what we use, say what the data does and does not cover, and correct our work promptly when we find a problem.
Questions and concerns
If you think we are using data we should not be, or not following the terms of a licence, please tell us through our contact page.