The James Webb Space Telescope is pushing the boundaries of human understanding, but access to Webb’s data is currently limited. That could change as NASA is considering a new open access policy that will make Webb’s data publicly available once it’s collected. Despite similar reforms to Hubble data reporting, some scientists are wary of the proposed changes.

We’ve seen the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) show off some great things, but that’s just some of what it’s done so far. About 25% of Webb’s observations are reported by scientists, while the rest of the data is kept secret. Time is extremely limited at Webb, so it is crucial for researchers to receive research requests. Currently, the reward for choosing your offer is one year of exclusive data access. This gives scientists the chance to analyze the data, write a paper, and publish it before someone else uses the observations to write a competing study.

A White House directive in August stated that federally funded data-driven research should be available free of charge by the end of 2025. NASA wants to take this even further by requiring that all data it generates be made public immediately. This could be similar to the fact that raw images from robotic missions to Mars are made public as soon as they are received.

This stunning image of the Pillars of Creation is part of 25% of the Webb data reported by astronomers. The rest are still blocked.

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which manages both Webb and Hubble, is asking astronomers for feedback on the proposal – which is controversial because no one wants to include their own research. At the same time, opening up access to data can give small teams and institutions that don’t have the resources to turn to time at Webb an opportunity to contribute to research. However, Space.com reports that some are concerned that the frenzied attempt to beat other teams to post will lead to lower-quality science.

There is precedent for changing Webb’s data access policy. In 2017, STScI extended Hubble’s exclusivity from 12 months to 6 months, and the following year launched anonymous apps for time at the observatory. The sky has not fallen yet.

STScI is already accepting applications for the second year of Webb observations, so any changes to the exclusivity period will take place thereafter. NASA also needs to get its European and Canadian partners to agree to this change, but we may soon see Webb’s private access shorten or disappear altogether.