Which practice helps ensure the privacy and security of survey data after collection?

• A. Share raw data publicly
• B. Keep data on personal devices without password protection
• C. Store data securely with restricted access and anonymize data when possible
• D. Discard data after collection

Answer: (C)

Protecting privacy and security after data collection means storing survey information in a secure, controlled environment and limiting who can access it, while removing or masking identifying details when possible. This approach reduces the chance that someone unauthorized could link responses to individuals, even if a breach occurs. Using secure storage (like encryption at rest), strict access controls, and data minimization through anonymization helps keep sensitive information protected and aligns with responsible data practices. Keeping raw data publicly, or storing it on personal devices without password protection, creates clear pathways for unauthorized access and compromises privacy. Discarding data after collection can be appropriate only under a defined retention policy, but doing so arbitrarily would erase valuable information and could violate program or legal requirements.