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# Request to Access Feature is now Available
- URL: https://community.mozilladatacollective.com/request-to-access-feature-is-now-available/
- Published: 2026-04-21T07:55:15.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-22T11:16:26.000Z
- Description: With this release, uploaders can now gate access to their datasets, requiring users to request permission and share their email address before downloading.
- Author: Mozilla Data Collective
- Tags: MDC, News

We’re excited to release a new way for dataset uploaders on [Mozilla Data Collective ](https://mozilladatacollective.com/?utm%5Fsource=social&utm%5Fmedium=community&utm%5Fcampaign=conditional-access)to control how their data is shared. Until now, dataset access has been governed by a combination of license terms and the addition of additional restrictions as part of the consent-to-download flow. While this provides important legal and usage guardrails, it doesn’t allow for more granular, case-by-case controls. 

With this release, uploaders can now gate access to their datasets, requiring users to request permission and share their email address before downloading. 

### **🔐 For Uploaders**

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ff/ca/ffcaf12e-8ea8-4d92-a7c4-6446e2c332cd/content/images/2026/04/image.png)

- **New Access Setting:** When creating a dataset listing, choose between:
  - **Public Access (default)** – anyone can download (with the existing agreement flow)
  - **Restricted Access** – users must request permission before downloading and agree to share their email address with the uploader
  - **Private** \- for temporarily withdrawing your dataset listing from the /datasets page
- **Access Requests:** Review incoming requests from potential downloaders through your account. You will receive an email notification when a new access request is submitted.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ff/ca/ffcaf12e-8ea8-4d92-a7c4-6446e2c332cd/content/images/2026/04/data-src-image-90781f16-5c3d-4d40-8a0b-f99b77532b62.png)

- **Flexible Controls:** Approve or reject requests, with the ability to update your decision at any time

### **📥 For Downloaders**

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ff/ca/ffcaf12e-8ea8-4d92-a7c4-6446e2c332cd/content/images/2026/04/image-1.png)

- **Request Access Flow:** Gated datasets now display a **“Request Access”** button instead of “Download”
- **Request Details:** When requesting access, users must provide:
  - Preferred name
  - Email address
  - Organization (from profile)
  - Optional message explaining intended use

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ff/ca/ffcaf12e-8ea8-4d92-a7c4-6446e2c332cd/content/images/2026/04/image-2.png)

The uploader of the dataset will be notified of your request and will be able to approve or reject it.

- **Status Updates:**
  - **Pending Access** – request submitted
  - **Download** – access granted
  - **Download Unavailable** – access denied

This is the first step towards a more granular access control system for organizations hosting their datasets on Mozilla Data Collective. In the future, we will introduce a wider range of available access conditions to better support the range of use cases that dataset owners have set around use of their data.