  In recent years, numerous studies have used 'data subject access requests' in
a collective manner, to tackle information asymmetries and shed light on data
collection and privacy practices of organizations. While successful at
increasing transparency, such studies are quite hard to conduct for the simple
fact that right of access is an individual right. This means that researchers
have to recruit participants and guide them through the often-cumbersome
process of access. In this paper, we present an alternative method: to ask
participants to delegate their right of access to the researchers. We discuss
the legal grounds for doing this, the advantages it can bring to both
researchers and data subjects, and present a procedural and technical design to
execute it in a manner that ensures data subjects stay informed and in charge
during the process. We tested our method in a pilot study in the Netherlands,
and found that it creates a win-win for both the researchers and the
participants. We also noted differences in how data controllers from various
sectors react to such requests and discuss some remaining challenges.
