19 What is Sensitive Data?
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What is sensitive data?
Sensitive data is “information that must be safeguarded against unwarranted access or disclosure,” which as the Portage Network Sensitive Data Expert Group (PNSDEG) (2020) has outlined, may include:
- Personal information
- Personal health information
- Educational records
- Customer records
- Financial information
- Criminal information
- Geographic information (e.g., detailed locations of endangered species)
- Confidential personnel information
- Information that is deemed to be confidential; information entrusted to a person, organization or entity with the intent that it be kept private and that access to it be controlled or restricted
- Information that is protected by institutional policy from unauthorized access1
1. Sensitive Data Expert Group. (2020). Sensitive data toolkit for researchers part 1: Glossary of terms for sensitive data used for research purposes (p. 10–11). Portage Network. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4088946
The creation, collection, handling, use, and storage of sensitive data has implications for your data management planning and implementation.
Research involving humans in Canada is subject to the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2) (2022). Institutions and faculties of graduate studies will have their own processes for ensuring students receive ethics training and complete ethics reviews as needed for their research. You should consult with your supervisor and the research ethics officer at your institution if you have any questions.
