(what-is-confidential-data)=
# What is confidential data?

Confidential, proprietary, sensitive, private, restricted... data.

## Obvious examples

- Data in the **Federal Statistical Research Data Centers** (FSRDCs)
- *Medical* data (e.g. electronic health records)
- Transcripts from **interviews** on sensitive topics (e.g. sexual harassment, drug usage)

## Less obvious?

- Data from *private companies* (e.g. Facebook, Google, Amazon)
- **Copyrighted** data!
- Data from a data use agreement you signed **EIGHT** (8) years ago, even if you forgot about it

## Is it confidential?

Having to do any of the following does not, by itself, tell you that data are not confidential:

- You had to **register**.
- You had to *pay* to get access.
- You can access it **from your university office** without any problem

## Can you share and publish it?

- In general, you cannot
- It can be challenging to **disentangle** public and confidential data.