Confidential data

Definition of confidential data

Confidential data is sensitive data that doesn’t identify someone personally, but it is information that still needs to remain private. You would not want it to be shared with others.

Some ways to recognise confidential data are:

• information considered private by an individual.

• the need to limit availability of the data for specific functions, groups or roles.

• the need to be limit data to certain users based on a ‘need to know’ basis for business operations.

For us as individuals, confidential data is information such as passwords, financial information, and phone numbers. All of the information in our medical records that does not personally identify us would also be considered confidential, such as the notes doctors make when we visit them or test results.

For businesses, confidential data includes trade secrets, investigations, and data protected by intellectual property rights. It can also include security information that relates to national security and military information.

Datasets often contain combinations of personal and confidential data.