Open repositories promise transparency and reuse, but increased visibility can introduce ethical risks in low-resource or high-risk contexts,discouraging participation and undermining trust. Examples include research in politically sensitive areas, contexts with weak whistleblower protections, or settings where "open" data enables surveillance.

This roundtable explores repositories as trust-centred governance infrastructures, not merely technical or compliance tools. The discussion draws from implementation of the Africa Bioethics Network's Research & Ethics Repository,a continental, civil-society platform supporting voluntary research registration and confidential concern reporting across 42+ African countries.

The session focuses on design trade-offs when balancing openness, protection, accountability, and equity. Participants will exchange experiences across institutional, geographic, and disciplinary contexts, addressing challenges including: FAIR principles in resource-constrained settings, governance without traditional institutional hosts, political sensitivity around research visibility, and repository design that builds rather than extracts trust.

The roundtable surfaces shared governance dilemmas and practical insights for repository stewardship in diverse settings, questioning foundational assumptions about what "open" means and who decides