ASSURED Training useful vocabulary

Output Checkers assess outputs produced from sensitive data to ascertain if they can be considered 'Safe', because they are unlikely to lead to a disclosure that harms the Data Subjects, or not.

Many Trusted Research Environments require outputs to undergo a check before they are removed from the Safe Setting.

A Global Persistent Identifier (PID) is a long-term digital reference to a resource. Unlike a standard web URL (which can break if a website moves), a PID is a permanent link that ensures your data remains findable forever.

A Procedure Breach occurs where data has been handled contrary to the institutional policies (e.g. the rules of a Research Data Centre) but not such that it reaches the level of Data Breach.

As defined in article 28 of the GDPR, a Processor is a natural or legal person, who processes data on behalf of a Controller. A processor might have other subordinated entities supporting the data processing, which we refer to as Sub-processors.

The adjective "pseudonymised" is used to describe data from which directly identifying information has been removed and replaced with artificial identifiers (pseudonyms). Unlike anonymised data, the connection to the original data source is maintained via a "key" held separately, meaning the data remains potentially identifiable under specific conditions. That means that individuals might be still indirectly identifiable and for this reason, pseudonymised data is still generally classified as personal data.

Remote access in principle is just a tweak to the concept of a Safe Room, meaning that it is a physical room with controls and restrictions. However, with remote access, this room is placed at a partner organization instead of at the data provider's location. Thus, while keeping up strict security measures, remote access allows for more flexibility in data access. This access can be enabled via bilateral agreements and secure technical connections.

With a remote desktop, access happens via a secure, encrypted internet connection from a user's own office​. This approach makes data much more accessible for researchers compared to Safe Rooms. While the control cannot be as tight as in physical Safe Rooms, several measures can be taken, such as disabling any further Internet connection, copying files outside the environment or transferring them to another drive.

In a remote execution setting, users work from their own offices without directly accessing the data themselves. Instead, the users submit their data analysis code e.g. to the data provider, who then runs the analyses and returns the results to the user.

Also known as RDC, a Research Data Centre is an organisation or intitution that provides researchers with access to official or sensitive microdata. They act as the "gatekeeper," ensuring that data access complies with legal and ethical standards. One example in Germany is the RDC (Forschungsdatenzentrum - FDZ) of the Federal Employment Agency (BA) at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB). It provides high-quality labour market data to the scientific community.

A safe room is a secure room in the premises of the data provider​ in which researchers can work with sensitive data. Such a setting allows for the implementation of a number of physical controls. This includes, among others, clear access control, sealed virtual enrivonments, and the prohibition to bring any personal belongings (such as smartphones) into the room.