Making secure qualitative data available via TREs

This presentation explores the challenges and opportunities involved in making sensitive qualitative research data available for reuse through Trusted Research Environments (TREs). Drawing on experiences from the UK Data Service, it discusses ethical, legal, and practical concerns around anonymisation, consent, disclosure risk, and participant safety. The talk highlights current workarounds used when archiving sensitive qualitative data, including access restrictions, partial data withholding, and the use of summaries. It also considers future approaches such as machine-learning tools for identifying disclosive information and developing guidance for secure qualitative data outputs, while balancing data protection with the long-term value of qualitative research.