How does TCPS 2 distinguish between privacy and confidentiality?

• A. Privacy concerns individuals' control over information; confidentiality is the researcher’s duty to protect information from unauthorized access.
• B. Privacy equals data encryption; confidentiality equals data sharing.
• C. Privacy is about public records; confidentiality is about storage.
• D. Privacy and confidentiality are the same concept.

Answer: (A)

Privacy is about the person’s control over their own information—what is collected, how it will be used, who can see it, and under what circumstances it may be disclosed. It centers on respecting autonomy and obtaining consent that aligns with the participant’s preferences. Confidentiality, by contrast, is the researcher’s obligation to protect the information that has been provided or collected from unauthorized access or disclosure. It involves the practical safeguards that keep data private once they are in the research system, such as secure storage, de-identification or coding, limited access for the research team, and careful handling in reporting results.

So privacy is about giving individuals a say in how their information is shared, while confidentiality is about the researchers’ duty to shield that information from others. The other options mix up these ideas: encryption is a security measure, not the definition of privacy; confidentiality isn’t simply about storage or about data sharing alone; and privacy and confidentiality are not the same concept.