Locking the front door without leaving the windows open: Positioning authentication technologies within the Five Safes framework for effective and safe use of sensitive research data

This project explores the options for access to sensitive data sets; what authentication technologies (e.g. multi-factor authentication) are needed to access sensitive data and secure compute environments. This project seeks to position choices around authentication technologies within the Five Safes framework for research use of sensitive data, proposed in 2003 by Felix Ritchie of the UK Office of National Statistics: • Safe Projects: is the proposed research use of the data appropriate? • Safe People: can the users be trusted to use the data in an appropriate manner? • Safe Settings: does the access facility limit unauthorised use? • Safe Data: is there a disclosure risk in the data itself? • Safe Outputs: are the research results non-disclosive i.e. they do not compromise privacy or breach confidentiality