How to best handle sensitive information during data collection?
What is data collection?
Data collection happens when you gather and analyze valuable information (e.g., names, email addresses, customer feedback, and website analytics) from a variety of sources to build compelling marketing campaigns, learn more about your customers, or create financial budgets.
Effective data collection can help you solve a problem, of course, but it can also measure brand awareness, identify trends, and spark new ideas.
Primary data-collection methods
When the party conducting the research (whether that’s a person or an organization) collects data, it’s considered primary data, as opposed to secondary data, which an external source collects and references.
Some of the primary data-collection methods covered below are quantitative, dealing with countable data. Others are qualitative, meaning that they consider factors other than numerical values. Generally, questionnaires, surveys, documents, and records are quantitative, while interviews, focus groups, observations, and oral histories are qualitative. There can also be crossover between the two methods.
Before we delve into more specifics about qualitative and quantitative data-collection methods, let’s take a quick look at the top six data-collection methods.
Nowadays, it is very common to observe a large number of studies in different media such as the internet, television, newspapers and books, which are generally carried out in order to study some cause, event, pattern or disease. A fundamental part of a study is the data collection process, this has to be carried out following a confidentiality agreement that can directly influence the credibility of the study as such, which leads to the following question: how does confidentiality impact in data collection and the credibility of the studies? The answer can be obtained in the development of the article, along with some important concepts for understanding it.
Before analyzing the impact of confidentiality at the different stages of a study, it is important to know its meaning. According to ECLAC (2020), “confidentiality refers to the researcher’s agreement with the participant about how private identifying information will be handled, administered and disseminated” (p. 3). This demonstrates the important role that confidentiality plays in data collection processes. A clear example of this importance is that in any method used for collection, such as surveys, questionnaires or interviews, there must be a confidentiality clause.
Along these same lines, ECLAC (2020) carries out an analysis that takes into account certain factors when structuring an investigation, such as collecting information without using personally identifiable information. However, if personal identification is used, the data must be removed as soon as possible, and care must also be taken that the means of transmission is not electronic without encryption. For this reason, it is considered that good structuring in the design plays an important role in the process and that this ensures good results and a higher percentage of credibility in the studies.
The importance of the design and the confidentiality clause that must be present was mentioned previously. However, another fundamental part that guarantees confidentiality is the protection of the data that is carried out after its collection. Some strategies used are the use of special identification codes, personal passwords to enter databases and the maintenance of physical records in protected places with limited access (Ávila, 2013).
With respect to the data provided previously, an analysis can be carried out about the positive or negative impact that confidentiality can produce in these processes. A negative impact may be the use of personal data for purposes outside the study being carried out, since today personal data is frequently used for scams, identity theft, threats, unauthorized use of images, among others. In addition to this, the lack of confidentiality can also cause a decrease in the population that wishes to participate, since this generates some fear and confusion. Furthermore, the credibility of a process that does not have a good structure for confidentiality leaves a lot to say about the seriousness of this process.
In conclusion, it was possible to demonstrate that confidentiality plays a vital role in a study process and that it is directly related to other stages such as design and data collection. It was also demonstrated the impact that confidentiality can have on the credibility of the study and the negative impacts that it can generate for the participating population and the company or institution that carries out the study and the data collection as such.
It is recommended to apply the factors recommended in the article to have a better design when carrying out the study, as well as the different recommendations with the protection of data after collection that were mentioned and, of course, always have the confidentiality clause when using any collection technique.
How to secure confidential information?
For every businessman it is important to handle certain information with discretion and confidentiality. In this way, an excellent level of trust is maintained with customers and suppliers, the reputation of the company or brand is protected, and compliance with legal responsibilities is ensured.
Confidentiality has been defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the ISO/IEC 27002 standard as “ensuring that information is accessible only to those authorized to have access.”
The threat of information security is a cause for concern that affects the digital level and also has an impact on the handling of printed documents . However, there are procedures and techniques that can help secure confidential information.
First, try to educate your employees about the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of certain types of information. This way you will ensure that they handle the information prudently.
Second, provide the right office tools and supplies to keep data secure, such as lockable desks, files or office furniture, small safes, or doors and windows with secure locks.
Furthermore, you must keep in mind that there is certain information that must be handled privately and therefore it is important to have a protocol or rules for access to special places.
Another recommended solution is that you identify all the personal data that resides in your environment, something that usually happens very commonly if the company is small or family-owned. It is advisable to minimize the use, collection and retention of personal data and classify it by the level of impact of confidentiality.
What is meant by privacy?
The ‘right to privacy’ refers to being free from intrusions or disturbances in one’s private life or personal affairs. All research should outline strategies to protect the privacy of the subjects involved, as well as how the researcher will have access to the information.
The concepts of privacy and confidentiality are related but are not the same. Privacy refers to the individual or subject, while confidentiality refers to the actions of the researcher.
Informed consent
There are many ways to obtain consent from your research subjects. The form of consent affects not only how you conduct your research, but also who can have access to the personal data you hold.
It is called informed consent , when before obtaining consent, the research subject is described what is going to be done with their data, who will have access to it and how it will be published.
When deciding which form of consent to use, it is worth considering who needs access to personal data and what needs to be done with the data before it can be shared publicly or with other researchers.
Anonymized data does not require consent to share or publish, but it is considered ethical to inform subjects about the use and destination of the data.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality refers to the researcher’s agreement with the participant about how private identifying information will be handled, administered, and disseminated . The research proposal should describe strategies for maintaining the confidentiality of identifiable data, including controls over the storage, manipulation, and sharing of personal data.
To minimize the risks of disclosure of confidential information, consider the following factors when designing your research:
- If possible, collect the necessary data without using personally identifiable information.
- If personally identifiable information is required, de-identify the data after collection or as soon as possible.
- Avoid transmitting unencrypted personal data electronically.
Other considerations include retaining original collection instruments, such as questionnaires or interview recordings. Once these are transferred to an analysis package or a transcription is made and the quality is assured or validated, there may no longer be a reason to retain them.
Questions about what data to retain and for how long should be planned in advance and within the context of your abilities to maintain the confidentiality of the information.