UK Data Service Secure Lab Celebrating 4 years of safe access to confidential data Richard Welpton Data Access Manager (Secure) NeIC 2015

Contents Foundations What is the Secure Lab? Day-to-day activities Future

Foundations No access to business microdata; access to anonymised social survey data (no small geographies) Office for National Statistics Virtual Microdata Laboratory Established 2004 On-site access Access to business data, for productivity analysis Expanded to four sites across the UK Additional sources added to collection (i.e. social survey data) NORC Data Enclave established in late 2000s University of Chicago First to establish ‘secure remote’ access via ‘clients’

Next steps Secure Data Service born in late 2010 New concepts: Remote access by secure desktop application Institution guarantees UK Data Archive support for metadata production First connection 13th June 2011

What is the Secure Lab? From Richie 2004 Logs in to server only screen shots, no data Researcher Data read only work area read-write Secure Lab Input Output Upload files for researcher Download results to check for confidentiality UK Data Service staff Email back allowed results Email in eg programs

 safe use Based on ‘5 Safes’ valid statistical purpose safe projects From Richie 2004 valid statistical purpose trusted researchers anonymisation of data technical controls around data disclosure control of results safe projects + safe people + safe data + safe setting + safe outputs  safe use

Effective Researcher Management Researcher thinks… Good response Bad response I’m not sure if they’ll release these types of results if I produce them Why don’t you provide some dummy stats early on in the project on so that we can make an assessment in advance: we can then advise you and potentially avoid you wasting your time We don’t have time for this, submit the results for assessment and we’ll give you a yes or no answer

Effective Researcher Management Researcher thinks… Good response Bad response I have a particular set of circumstances which I think makes my research a bit different; can I explain this to you? Let me hear your situation and I’ll make an assessment; we deal with these things all the time so you’re situation isn’t unique. I hope that reassures you. You’re just a number: we have to deal with many researchers, we can’t devote much time on a small handful.

Our day-to-day work Supporting Access Data improvement Training new researchers Providing data support Output checking (SDC) Data linking

Our day-to-day work in numbers 658 registered researchers to date 494 projects Average number of logins per day 55 Highest recorded logins 120 Average number of outputs checker per day 3

Achievements Data without Boundaries Secure connection established with IAB in Germany Harmonisation of UK Accredited Training UK ‘RDC’ Group: Attended by 5 RDCs throughout UK Share best practice Problem-solving Harmonisation of standards (e.g. training, SDC in the future)

Information Security Accreditation for ISO 27001 Information Security Culture of information security Regular review of procedures ‘Continuous improvement’ Six-monthly surveillance audits

rwelpton@essex.ac.uk