Introduction More on Problems in Issues of Privacy Federal Regulations stipulate that, where appropriate, proposals should include adequate provisions to protect the privacy of subjects and to maintain the confidentiality of data. When a proposal does not explain if and how privacy will be maintained, subjects cannot know the future status of their contributions to the study and so they cannot provide truly informed consent. Proposal confuses anonymity and confidentiality.
Anonymity means that there is no way to identify individual subjects' responses.
Confidentiality implies subjects' identities are known but will be protected to some extent by the investigator. For example, in research projects where the subject signs a consent form, but their responses cannot be linked in any way to their name, the subject's response will be anonymous. However, if subjects sign a consent form and their names are tied to their responses through a master list of names and code numbers, and in addition the coded responses are kept in a locked cabinet, the subjects' responses in many cases may be considered confidential.