Rethinking Confidentiality in Qualitative Research in the Era of Big Data

Abstract

This article takes the big data era as a starting point to examine common assumptions about confidentiality and privacy, arguing that confidentiality is a westernized notion that is currently facing various challenges because of the present shift toward the openness of data access across multiple platforms. We contend that the notion of privacy is more dynamic in many non-Western societies and, therefore, we want to challenge confidentiality as a necessary condition for research. Revisiting the first author’s experience working with participatory qualitative data collection methods, we argue that there are communities where confidentiality matters less; in such communities, instead of engaging in strict confidentiality procedures, particularly since confidentiality will never be achieved, qualitative researchers should build on the attitudes of such communities and go beyond the notion of individual privacy to better facilitate the formulation of community action plans for possible interventions in areas of perceived societal needs.