A personal pledge of secrecy and usually also a remote access commitment is required from every researcher using unit-level datasets.
With the pledge of secrecy, the researcher pledges to keep secret the data based on the user licence and prescribed as confidential by law. The pledge of secrecy is required from every researcher processing unit-level datasets.
Each researcher must submit their own pledge of secrecy. The pledge cannot be made on behalf of someone else. Each researcher reads and approves the terms of use of the pledge of secrecy.
The pledge of secrecy is user-specific, not research-specific.
It is advisable to make the pledges of secrecy before submitting the dataset application.
Submit the pledge of secrecy in Statistics Finland's licensing service.
The pledge of secrecy is approved by each person personally.
The remote access commitment is a description of data security and data protection practices. It is needed for opening the remote access connection. A remote access commitment is needed from every researcher processing unit-level datasets if the dataset is used in the remote access system.
Each remote user must submit a personal remote access commitment. The commitment cannot be made on behalf of someone else. The remote access commitment also needs be approved by the person who has signed the remote access agreement on behalf of your organisation or part of it, such as a faculty.
The remote access commitment is user-specific, not research-specific. It is also connected to the organisation's web address through which the researcher uses the data. If the network changes due to, for example, a change of workplace, the remote access commitment must be submitted again.
The researcher must ensure that the data in the remote access commitment are up-to-date. If it turns out that the data have changed and no new commitment has been made, Statistics Finland has the right to cut the researcher's access to the remote access system.
The previous commitment cannot be updated, but as the data change, the researcher must submit a new remote access commitment.
A remote access commitment can only be submitted by a researcher whose organisation has made an agreement on remote access use with Statistics Finland. Researchers whose organisation has an agreement ready can submit a remote access commitment before applying for a user licence. Nearly all universities of Finland have concluded an agreement on remote access use with Statistics Finland.
If your organisation does not yet have an agreement on remote access use with Statistics Finland, a dataset application can still be made. Notify in the dataset application that a remote access agreement has not yet been concluded. We will submit the remote access agreement to your organisation at the processing stage for filling in. Once your organisation has approved the remote access agreement, the processor of the application asks for remote access commitments from the project researchers.
Read more about the organisation's remote access agreement [LINK]
If you do not know whether your organisation has made an agreement with Statistics Finland, you can ask about it from your organisation or from the Research Services by email at tutkijapalvelut@stat.fi.
A licence to use the remote access system can also be applied for from abroad. Working from abroad must be reported in the user licence and the researcher must also fill in the version of the remote access commitment titled remote access commitment from abroad.
For use from abroad, the research project must have a connection with a Finnish organisation.
The researcher is responsible for that the premises used by the researcher are suitable for research and remote access use and that datasets can be processed there so that the data protection of the data is not endangered.
The research organisation is responsible for its employees' remote work and remote work connection.