Collecting data through online platforms increase the risk of a data breach and privacy risks which researchers need to be aware of to protect research participants and comply with Tri-Council Policy Statement Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2 (2022), specifically Chapter 5: Privacy and Confidentiality. Platforms have different levels of security and privacy and not all platforms are secure enough for sensitive data from research participants.
This resource covers key considerations related to privacy policies and data usage, security standards and compliance, and data storage and access control.
A company using research data to train AI in any way is inherently risky and could lead to you breaching privacy legislation. If a service offers an opportunity to opt out, take it.
The information was reviewed by Research Data Management, Information Security Services, the McMaster Research Ethics Board (MREB) Ethics Office, and the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board (HiREB).
This resource was developed as part of the Digital Research Commons Pilot (DRCP). If you can’t find what you are looking for or aren’t sure where to start, contact AskResearch.
Updated: May 2025