Building on themes explored in the World Bank’s 2016 World Development Report Digital Dividends, this session will consider and debate the issues surrounding the growing threats to citizens’ rights to access public archives in the digital world, a world which has made access to and review of records a more complex and challenging issue. It will use a recent conference hosted by Northumbria University as its starting point. The conference provided a unique opportunity for to engage in a critical discussion between leading UK and international figures experienced in dealing with access issues at the most senior levels in government, academia and the records management and archives profession.