Linking data for the benefit of individuals and wider society is an important research area, not just for social scientists, but for us all. One of the most well known and most talked about practical examples of this is the somewhat controversial care.data programmme, designed to share patients' health and social care information in order to see what works and what doesn't in the NHS. Independent researcher Neil Serougi discusses the programme's rocky road and reflects on recent discussions hosted by NCRM on the ethical and social concerns around linked data."