If a researcher’s car is stolen with a file containing aggregated numerical data, how is this situation characterized?

In this scenario, the situation is characterized as having neither a violation of privacy nor a breach of confidentiality because the data in question is aggregated numerical data, which typically does not include information that can directly identify individuals. Aggregated data is often anonymized, meaning that it is compiled in a way that individual participants cannot be identified or linked back to their specific responses.

Thus, while the theft of the researcher's car and the potential loss of the data could be concerning, the nature of the aggregated data itself means that there is no breach of confidentiality regarding individual participants’ private information. Since the data does not contain identifiable information, the implications for privacy violations are minimized. This also implies that researchers generally do not need to inform participants specifically about an incident involving aggregated data, as it does not compromise individual confidentiality.