1 Introduction

The introduction of legislation governing the use of personal data (known as the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR) has resulted in varied effects on the production and use of research data, and archaeology is no exception. While many of these changes are reasonably easy to understand and implement, some are more complex, and GDPR has resulted in a range of knock-on effects that require attention and mitigation.

This Guide was developed to resolve misunderstandings and address concerns identified during a series of consultative workshops that explored how the implementation of GDPR was affecting the archaeological sector. The Guide provides basic advice for those working with archaeological data, such as whether the data is personal or sensitive (or both), and how this affects how the data should be handled in different scenarios relating to particular roles. It takes into account the results of recent discussions and observations by data creators, data managers and digital archivists as to how data protection legislation affects the archaeological data being deposited in digital archives today, and how that data may be understood in the future.

These discussions took place as part of the research project Transforming Data Reuse in Archaeology (TETRARCHs).

While much of the content in this Guide will be applicable in different countries, please note that the discussion is based on the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

The content of this Guide is as follows:

• Aim of this Guide

• Overview of current UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)

• Archaeological archives and personal/sensitive data

  • Is your data personal or sensitive (or both)?

  • Why do we need personal data in archaeology?

  • Do we need to eliminate all personal data from archaeological archives?

  • What are the consequences of eliminating personal data from archaeological archives?

• Practical Guidance

  • Guidance for project managers

  • Guidance for field supervisors

  • Guidance for post-excavation supervisors, specialists and archivists

  • Guidance for data managers

• What does the future hold for consent and personal data protection?

• Resources