Secure Data Service; an Improved Access to Disclosive Data

The Secure Data Service is a secure environment funded by the ESRC to provide researcher access to disclosive micro data either from their offices, safe rooms in their institutions or on site at the UK Data Archive. Operation is legally framed by the 2007 statistics Act which makes possible access to the confidential data for statistical purposes. This short paper introduces this new UK Data Archive service and proposed specifications, as well as challenges facing data service providers. We envision that the proposed SDS infrastructure will meet the requirements of the data security model. The paper also aims to be an exemplar for a secure remote access practice.