B. I intend to archive my research data, should I anonymise any personal data before archiving? C. What is 'personal data'? D. Is everyone potentially a 'data subject'? What about children, the elderly and the deceased? E. What is the difference between 'personal data' and 'sensitive personal data'? F. If my data is anonymized, do I need to consider data protection issues? 4. What is the difference between 'anonymous' and 'pseudonymous' data? B. How can I anonymize my research data sufficiently for data protection purposes?

Question 1

Answer · 2026-03-17T09:39:13.067Z

B: Yes, you should anonymize personal data before archiving your research data. Archiving research data often involves long-term storage, potentially making it accessible beyond the original research purpose. Under data protection laws like GDPR, personal data requires safeguards. Anonymization removes identifiability, ensuring compliance and ethical handling. C: Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This includes names, ID numbers, location data, online identifiers, or factors specific to physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity (GDPR Article 4(1)). D: Yes, everyone whose data relates to them is potentially a data subject. Sensitive personal data (special categories) includes data revealing racial/ethnic origin, political opinions, religious/philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data (for unique ID), health data, or data on sex life/sexual orientation (GDPR Article 9). E: Anonymous data cannot be linked to an identifiable individual in any way (irreversible process; no longer personal data). Pseudonymous data is personal data where direct identifiers are replaced by pseudonyms, but re-identification is possible with additional information held by the controller (still falls under data protection rules; GDPR Recital 26). F: No, if data is fully anonymized, it is no longer personal data, so data protection regulations like GDPR do not apply. However, ensure anonymization is robust and irreversible to avoid re-identification risks.

Question 2

B: Yes, you should anonymize personal data before archiving your research data. Archiving research data often involves long-term storage, potentially making it accessible beyond the original research purpose. Under data protection laws like GDPR, personal data requires safeguards. Anonymization removes identifiability, ensuring compliance and ethical handling. C: Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This includes names, ID numbers, location data, online identifiers, or factors specific to physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity (GDPR Article 4(1)). D: Yes, everyone whose data relates to them is potentially a data subject. Sensitive personal data (special categories) includes data revealing racial/ethnic origin, political opinions, religious/philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data (for unique ID), health data, or data on sex life/sexual orientation (GDPR Article 9). E: Anonymous data cannot be linked to an identifiable individual in any way (irreversible process; no longer personal data). Pseudonymous data is personal data where direct identifiers are replaced by pseudonyms, but re-identification is possible with additional information held by the controller (still falls under data protection rules; GDPR Recital 26). F: No, if data is fully anonymized, it is no longer personal data, so data protection regulations like GDPR do not apply. However, ensure anonymization is robust and irreversible to avoid re-identification risks.

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