Sensitive data are data that can be used to identify an individual, species, object or location that introduces a risk of discrimination, harm or unwanted attention, The major categories of sensitive data are:
What is anonymisation?
Anonymisation is the process of turning data into a form which does not identify individuals and where identification is not likely to take place. Anonymisation may be needed for ethical reasons,for legal reasons or for commercial reasons. Personal data should not be disclosed from research information, unless a participant has given consent to do so.
Sensitive data that has been anonymised can be openly published and shared. You will need to obtain informed consent from the participants in your study to allow for publication/sharing or their anonymised or de-identified data from the research.
The Sensitive Data: Publishing and Sharing - ANDS Guide outlines best practice for the publication and sharing of sensitive research data in the Australian context. This guide provides straightforward, step-by-step advice about what you need to know and do before publishing and sharing your sensitive data, including:
what's legal
what to include in a consent form requesting data publication and sharing
sharing sensitive data that you did not collect (i.e. third party data)
making data discoverable: metadata
conditional access to data: what is it; how do I do it?
licensing your data
depositing your data
a comprehensive guide on most things you need to know about publishing sensitive data.