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Working with information security at BTH

Confidentiality

Think before you share. We all have a responsibility to protect information and avoid sharing it unnecessarily.

Here you can learn what confidentiality means and how to handle information securely.

Why?

Personal data can be used by malicious actors for identity theft, to harm or threaten individuals, or to carry out cyberattacks.

Other sensitive information can be used by malicious actors to harm BTH’s operations or even compromise Sweden’s security.

What is confidentiality?

What is confidentiality?

The term is defined in the international standard EN ISO/IEC 27000:2020:

Confidentiality: property that information is not made available or disclosed to unauthorised individuals, entities, or processes.property that information is not made available or disclosed to unauthorized individuals, entities, or processes

What should I keep in mind?

Handle all personal data with care.

How do I do this?

Protect personal data and other sensitive information by handling it securely.

  • Store and share information only in approved systems. Do not use cloud services for personal data or other sensitive information, and never share information with unauthorised people.
  • Protect information from being seen by unauthorised people. Do not display personal data or other sensitive information unnecessarily, and lock the screen on your computer, mobile phone and other devices.
  • Lock your office when you leave it unattended.
  • Use encrypted email when you need to share sensitive information.

Under the principle of public access to official documents, official documents held by public authorities are generally accessible to the public.

Some official documents contain information that is subject to secrecy, such as information concerning Sweden’s security or an individual’s personal circumstances. The information that is subject to secrecy is governed by the Swedish Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act.

Read more:

Personal identity numbers and coordination numbers are not considered sensitive personal data under the GDPR, but they are subject to special protection.

Only process personal identity numbers or coordination numbers when necessary. If the purpose is to identify an individual, consider whether another identification number or pseudonymised data could be used instead.

Read more:

As a general rule, special categories of personal data may only be processed where permitted under the GDPR.

This includes data concerning:

  • ethnic origin
  • political opinions
  • religious or philosophical beliefs
  • trade union membership
  • genetic data
  • biometric data used to identify an individual
  • health
  • a person’s sex life or sexual orientation.

Swedish law also contains specific rules on processing personal data relating to criminal offences.

Read more:

A trade secret is information that:

  • is not generally known or readily accessible
  • has been protected through reasonable measures
  • could cause harm to operations if disclosed.

Read more:

Security protective classified information must not be handled on BTH premises or using BTH equipment, as BTH does not have the organisation required under Swedish protective security legislation.

Read more:

Further reading

The following literature and publications provide more in-depth information on information security and data protection.

Ett fingeravtryck på en digital bakgrund.

For students

For Employees

External information from government agencies

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Updated: 2026-10-01 by Sofi Arlos

Page owner: University Office

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