Open Data Quandary

"Every now and then, it’s good to read stories that force me to challenge my own opinions. This week, I read in the news that Philip Morris (PMI), the tobacco giant, have requested primary data from the University of Stirling from a research project into teenagers’ attitudes to smoking. That feels very wrong. As regular readers of this blog will know, open access to scientific datasets is something I’ve long preached the benefits of....[T]his case raises some very uncomfortable questions about sharing data with companies who will use the data to profit in ways that are directly opposed to the goals of the study...."