Privacy notice for the MigCOVID survey

Information for survey participants

This is a description of how your personal data will be processed in the Impact of coronavirus epidemic on wellbeing among foreign born population (MigCOVID) Survey. Participation in the survey is voluntary. You will not face any negative consequences if you do not participate in the survey or if you discontinue your participation in it. Rejecting participation in the survey does not affect your entitlement to health care services or any other services or benefits in Finland. If you discontinue your participation in the survey, the material collected before you do so can still be used in the survey. Section 17 of this description includes more detailed information on your rights and how you may affect the processing of your data.

More information about the survey is available in the information sheet for research subjects.

1. Register keeper of the survey

The register keeper of the MigCOVID survey is the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
(THL).

Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
P.O. Box 30, 00271 Helsinki
tel. +358 29 524 6000

Contact person in matters concerning the survey:
Name: Natalia Skogberg
Address: Mannerheimintie 166, PO Box 30, FI-00271 Helsinki
Telephone number: +358 29 524 7916
E-mail: [email protected]

2. Description of the research project and purpose of processing personal data

The objective of this survey is to examine what kind of impact the coronavirus epidemic and the related restrictive measures have had on foreign-born persons’ daily life, health, wellbeing and experiences of services. Another objective is to find out whether the information communicated by the authorities about the current situation in the coronavirus epidemic and about the preventative measures reached everyone equally.

The target group of the survey consists of the persons (5,453) who participated in the Survey on wellbeing of the foreign born population (FinMonik) and an additional sample of Somaliborn persons (max. 1,000 people). The persons invited to the MigCOVID survey are aged between 20 and 66 years. The first results of the survey will be published on the survey website at the beginning of 2021. Individual respondents cannot be identified in the result reports. The information will be used in preparing for the coronavirus epidemic and other similar serious health threats in the future. Data collected in the survey can be used to draw conclusions on the societal impacts of the epidemic. It will be used to better respond to the needs of the foreign born population during the coronavirus epidemic and to develop restorative societal measures after the coronavirus epidemic.

The survey is a follow-up of the FinMonik Survey.

THL is entitled to combine the responses given in this survey with the data from the FinMonik Survey and register data on health and well-being from registers maintained by various official bodies and health care units. Register data will only be used for the purposes of the survey.

Identifiable personal data will be used to contact the research subjects and to link the data from the above-mentioned FinMonik Survey and registers to the answers provided by the participant in this survey. After combining the register data, personal data will be eliminated from the research data. It is not possible to identify individual participants from the data used by the researchers.

3. Parties to the survey conducted as a cooperation project and their distribution of duties

The survey is not conducted as a cooperation project.

4. Responsible director or the group in charge of the survey

Name: Anu Castaneda
Address: Mannerheimintie 166, PO Box 30, FI-00271 Helsinki
Telephone number: +358 29 524 7848
E-mail: [email protected]

5. Contact details of the data protection officer

Contact details of THL’s data protection officer: tietosuoja(at)thl.fi.

6. Implementers of the survey

The survey is conducted by THL's Equality and Inclusion Unit.

7. Title, nature and duration of the survey

Title of the survey: Impact of coronavirus epidemic on wellbeing among foreign born population (MigCOVID).

This is a follow-up survey.

Duration of survey (how long the personal data will be processed):

The register follow-up stage of the survey will last 30 years from the implementation of the survey. Register data is collected and updated according to the research plan during this follow-up stage. When the survey has ended, the research data will be stored in accordance with section 16. The research subjects can be approached again after the data collection in 2020.

8. Legal basis of processing personal data

In accordance with Article 6(1) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, the legal basis for the processing of personal data is the following: Scientific or historical research purposes in the public interest, statistical purposes or the exercise of official authority vested in the controller (Data Protection Act, section 4, paragraph 3).

9. Sensitive personal data

The following sensitive personal data are processed in the survey: Health data.

The processing of sensitive data is based on the following special category of Article 9(2) of the General Data Protection Regulation: Scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes.

10. Which personal data will be included in the research data

Identifying data: personal identity code, name, date and place of birth, mother tongue, contact details, gender and spatial data coordinates of residence.

Data collected from research data: data according to the data content of the survey.

Data collected from registers:

  • THL: treatment of illnesses, physician appointments, procedures, and social assistance.
  • Social insurance institution of Finland (Kela): special reimbursement rights for medicines, reimbursements received, pharmaceutical purchases, pharmaceutical prescriptions, social assistance, labour market support, sickness allowance, sick leave, housing allowance, rehabilitation periods, disability support and institutional care
  • Statistics Finland: education, main type of activity, income, occupation, socio-economic group, citizenship, cause of death
  • Finnish Centre for Pensions: information on pensions, rehabilitation and employment relationships
  • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment: employment and employment measures
  • Digital and Population Data Services Agency: address, date and place of birth, parents’ place of birth, gender, marital status, mother tongue, service language, number of persons in the household.

11. From which sources will personal data be collected

THL's register data (care notification system, infectious diseases register, cancer register, birth, abortion and sterilisation registers and income register), Finnish Registry for Kidney Diseases, Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), Statistics Finland, Finnish Centre for Pensions, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Digital and Population Data Services Agency, the data provided by the research subject in the questionnaire.

12. Transfer or disclosure of data outside research group

Personal data will not be regularly disclosed or transferred outside the research group. The research data collected can be used and disclosed in accordance with the Act on the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (668/2008) and the Act on the Secondary Use of Social and Health Data (552/2019). The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare has transferred the competence for data access authorisation to the Social and Health Data Permit Authority (Findata), which is primarily responsible for the data access authorisation of other applicant than THL.

13. Transfer or disclosure of data outside the EU or the European Economic Area

No data will be transferred or disclosed to parties outside the EU or the European Economic Area.

14. Automated decision-making

No automated decisions are made.

15. The principles of protecting personal data

The data are confidential.

The data processed in the data systems:

  • user ID
  • password
  • registration of use
  • access control

Processing of direct identifiers: Direct identifiers will be eliminated at the analysis phase.

16. Processing of personal data after the end of the survey

The research data will be archived at THL without identifiers.

17. The rights of the data subject and their possible limitations

Under data protection legislation, research subjects have certain rights. By exercising these rights, research subjects can ensure that the protection of their privacy, which is a fundamental right, is realised. If you would like to exercise your rights, contact THL's registry [kirjaamo(at)thl.fi] or the contact person mentioned in section 1.

If THL is unable to identify you from the data, rights such as the right of access, the right to rectification and the right to erasure will not be applied.

Withdrawing consent (Article 7 of the General Data Protection Regulation)

Where the processing of personal data is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. The withdrawal of consent shall not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

Right of access (Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation)

You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether or not your personal data are being processed in the survey and which of your personal data are processed in the survey. You may also request a copy of the personal data undergoing processing.

Right to rectification (Article 16 of the General Data Protection Regulation)

In case of inaccuracy or errors in your personal data undergoing processing, you have the right to request their rectification or supplementation.

Right to erasure (Article 17 of the General Data Protection Regulation)

You have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of your personal data in the following cases:

  • the personal data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed
  • you withdraw your consent on which the processing is based and there is no other legal ground for the processing
  • you object to the processing and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing
  • the personal data have been unlawfully processed; or
  • the personal data have to be erased for compliance with a legal obligation in Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject.

Derogation from the rights

Derogations from the rights described in this section 17 The rights of the data subject and their possible limitations may occur in accordance with the conditions laid down in data protection legislation in so far as the obligation is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of the objectives of scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes. The need for derogation is always assessed on a case-by-case basis.

If you would like to exercise your rights, contact THL's registry [kirjaamo(at)thl.fi].

Contact

If you have any questions about you rights, contact THL's registry [kirjaamo(at)thl.fi] or the contact person mentioned in section 1.

Right to refer the matter to the Data Protection Ombudsman

You have the right to refer the matter to the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman if you consider that the valid data protection legislation has been violated in the processing of your personal data.

Contact details:

Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman
Visiting address: P.O. Box 4, 00530 Helsinki
Postal address: P.O. Box 800, 00531 Helsinki
Switchboard: +358 29 56 66700
Fax: +358 29 56 66735
E-mail: tietosuoja(at)om.fi.

Updated: