# Making data public

**URL:** <https://forum.openreferral.org/t/making-data-public/61>\
**Category:** Adoption\
**Created:** [May 14, 2021, 2:14pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/making-data-public/61 "2021-05-14T14:14:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MikeThacker-iStandUK](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/mikethacker-istanduk/32/8_2.png) [@MikeThacker-iStandUK](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/MikeThacker-iStandUK)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 2:14pm UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/making-data-public/61/1 "2021-05-14T14:14:04Z")

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I’ve been discussing with a council what data should be made open via an Open Referral UK data feed - through [the API](https://developers.openreferraluk.org/API-Guidance/#api-reference).

Data you will not want to expose includes:

- services for internal use that are not available to people outside your organisation
- records that are archived (no longer live)
- fields that should not be made public, e.g. the location of a refuge

In keeping with the ethos of open data and the [Local Digital Declaration](https://openreferraluk.org/about-standard#section-4-heading), most data should be open and available under an [Open Government Licence](http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) or equivalent that allows free use for any legal (commercial or non-commercial use) purpose. Data in most council directories is public anyway. The standard just makes reuse easier.