Petersberg statement on data protection
The Datenschutzkonferenz (DSK), the German conference of independent federal and state data protection authorities, issued the Petersberg statement on 24 November 2022. The document provides researchers with important orientation for the processing of health data in the research context. In particular, it covers the topics of encryption and pseudonymization of data by a trusted party as well as the earliest possible anonymization of research data. Although the statement was drafted as a resolution, including data protection recommendations and opinions agreed upon by all the German data protection authorities, it is not legally binding.
The document explains that researchers can use the data more extensively and specifically, the higher the protection of the data subjects by appropriate measures is.