Secure Data Service

The Secure Data Service is intended for data that cannot be made available under standard UK Data Archive licensing arrangements.

Data in our collection typically include more detailed variables that, while useful to researchers, increase the likelihood of being able to identify an individual in the data. These might include geographical, industry, occupation, age or health variables. In addition, they may include commercially or personally sensitive information.

The Data Protection Act 1998 considers information about identifiable individuals relating to the following to be 'sensitive': racial or ethnic origin; political opinions; religious or similar beliefs; trade union membership; physical or mental health condition; sexual life; commission or alleged commission of any offence; any proceedings for any offence committed/alleged.

Assessing your data

Before transferring your data to us, it's important to assess the level of disclosiveness, whether there is commercially or personal sensitive information included in the data, respondent consent and the level of confidentiality promised to respondents .

By entrusting your data to us, you will be maximising their research potential while imposing additional access restrictions. It's important to consider whether those additional restrictions are absolutely necessary and whether the data and/or a less disclosive version of the data could be made available under less restrictive conditions.

Choosing the right access

The Secure Data Service offers a number of remote secure access options designed to allow maximum research viability with the appropriate level of security:

• access at the user's desktop
• access using a thin client
• access in a secure room at the user's own or other institution*

* In these cases, it is the host institution's responsibility to maintain security standards set by the us and the data owners. The secure machines are configured by the Secure Data Service and sold or leased to the host institution.