The terms below will take effect on October 9, 2025. This page provides a preview version of the upcoming Fairdata service terms, which will replace the current Fairdata IDA terms of use.
Key changes
- Storing the published data becomes continuous, under certain conditions
- Dataset must generally be published within two years of uploading data to the IDA service, or an extension must be requested with justification
- Metadata administrators (so-called Qvain main users) within organizations will gain rights to edit dataset metadata
- Users and data controllers must ensure the service is suitable and secure enough for the research data stored
Read more about the changes in our Fairdata news article: https://www.fairdata.fi/en/fairdata-terms-of-use-to-be-updated/
Preview version: Terms of Use for Fairdata IDA, Qvain, Etsin, and Metax Services
Effective as of October 9, 2025
These are the terms of use for the IDA, Qvain, Metax, and Etsin services, which are part of the Fairdata Services. Please also read the General Terms of Use for CSC’s Services for Research. By using the IDA, Qvain, Metax, or Etsin services, you accept both sets of terms and agree to use the services in accordance with their service description. The Fairdata suite of services are available to the research community in accordance with the applicable use policy. The use of the Digital Preservation Service for Research data (Fairdata PAS) involves a separate contract (in Finnish).
The privacy statement for the services applies to the personal data of the users, and any personal data included in the metadata, for which the data controller is the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Definitions of terminology used in these terms
- Services: IDA, Etsin, Metax, and Qvain
- User: A natural person who uses the services described in these terms.
- Research Data (“Data”): Digital data produced or used in research or RDI activities, and related materials.
- Research Dataset (“Dataset”): A structured collection of Research Data that includes metadata related to the Research Data.
- Metadata: Descriptive information about the content and context of Research Data that supports its discoverability, identification, comprehensibility, and reusability.
- Freezing, Frozen Data: Freezing means that data stored in the IDA service is marked as Frozen Data by the User. Frozen Data is preserved in an unchanged state in the IDA service and can be included in a Research Dataset via Qvain or Metax API.
- CSC Project: A group consisting of one or more Users who may be granted access to services such as IDA. One member of the group acts as the CSC Project Manager.
- CSC Project Manager: A User who is responsible for a CSC Project.
1. User responsibilities related to Research Data, Metadata, and data management
1.1 General responsibilities
As a User, you are responsible for the use of the Services:
- You agree to use the Services only for storing and publishing Research Data, related materials, and Metadata.
- You are responsible for ensuring that you have full authority to store and publish Research Datasets. This also applies to published personal data.
- You are responsible for ensuring that you have full authority to grant editing rights for Data or Metadata to other Users.
- You agree to use the Services only through documented interfaces and APIs.
- You agree to comply with responsibilities described in the General Terms of Use for CSC’s Services for Research.
1.2 Use of the IDA service
As a User, you agree to the following terms regarding the use of the IDA service:
- You agree to describe and publish Data stored in the IDA service via Qvain or Metax API so that the Metadata of the Research Dataset is findable in the Fairdata Etsin service. By default, Data must be described and published within 24 months from storing it in the IDA service. You may request additional time if needed for preparing the Data.
- You agree not to use the IDA service directly for heavily used Data (e.g., computing disk data, data used in web applications).
- You accept that preservation measures (e.g. data replication) of the IDA service apply only to Data that has been Frozen by the User. It is your responsibility as a User to Freeze Data stored in the IDA service.
1.3 Use of Qvain, Metax API, and Etsin
As a User, you agree to the following terms regarding the use of Qvain, Metax API, and Etsin:
- You accept that Metadata published in Etsin is licensed under CC0 license and openly available.
- You are responsible for ensuring that Metadata stored in Services is correct, up-to-date, and adequate for research use or RDI activities. As a User, you must also consider Responsible conduct of research (TENK) and legal requirements.
- You accept that the organization with editing rights to Metadata (by default, the home organization of the User who created Metadata) has the right to make changes to Metadata. The organization is responsible for ensuring that changes do not compromise data accuracy.
1.4 CSC’s right to inform User’s home organization or IDA quota granter organization
- CSC has the right to contact the User’s home organization (the one known to CSC) or organization granting IDA storage space regarding actions needed for correcting illegal, outdated or otherwise inappropriate Data or Metadata.
- Additionally, CSC may provide information about the User’s home organization as described in the General Terms of Use for CSC’s Services for Research.
2. Terms regarding the termination of usage rights and the retention of Data and Metadata
2.1 Published Research Datasets are retained continuously under certain conditions, unless otherwise agreed
Unless otherwise agreed, Services retain Research Datasets stored in the IDA service and published in Etsin continuously, regardless of the validity of the User’s account and CSC Project, as long as the published Research Dataset complies with the terms of use, and the Data included is available for download openly or conditionally through Fairdata Services. The terms include the requirement that when Data stored in the IDA service contains personal data, there must be a valid personal data processing agreement.
Section 2.2 describes in more detail the cases in which published Data can be deleted from the IDA service after the CSC Project is closed.
2.2 When and how is Data or Metadata deleted or the usage rights of Services terminated?
CSC, the User’s home organization, and the organization granting IDA storage space have the right to decide on limiting or terminating the usage rights and deleting Data and Metadata as follows:
- If Data stored in the IDA service is not available for download openly or conditionally through Fairdata Services after the CSC Project is closed, i.e. the Data is not included in any published Dataset, or Dataset access type is restricted so that it cannot be downloaded under any conditions through Fairdata Services, CSC will delete the Data stored in IDA (including published Data) 90 days after the CSC Project is closed, as described in the General Terms of Use for CSC’s Services for Research. The published Data will also be deleted if it contains personal data but there is no valid personal data processing agreement associated with it.
- Unless otherwise agreed, CSC reserves the right to delete Data from the IDA service that was transferred to IDA more than 24 months ago but is not part of any Research Dataset findable in the Fairdata Etsin service. The User may request additional time to finalize the Data.
- The organization granting IDA storage space has the right to terminate the CSC Project’s IDA usage rights. When the CSC Project’s IDA usage rights are terminated, Data will be deleted from the IDA service in accordance with the General Terms of Use.
- CSC will make reasonable efforts to inform the CSC Project Manager and the organization granting IDA storage space before deleting any Data from the IDA service.
- The organization with editing rights to Metadata of the Dataset (by default, the home organization of the User who created the Metadata) has the right to mark the published Dataset as deleted. When a Dataset is marked as deleted, a tombstone page with Metadata will always remain in Etsin, even though the Data is no longer available.
- If a third party questions the User’s right to the Data they have stored or the right to store and publish Metadata, the User’s home organization and CSC have the right to investigate the claim and its grounds. CSC has the right to suspend the User’s access to the service and limit the visibility and availability of the published Data and Metadata during the investigation.
- Violating the terms of use or service description may lead to the termination of the usage rights to the Services and the deletion of stored Data and Datasets.
3. Changes to these Terms
CSC reserves the right to change these Terms from time to time by notifying the User at least two weeks in advance of the amendment becoming effective. If the User continues to use the Services after the stated effective date of the amended Terms, the User is deemed to have accepted the amendment.
4. General
These Terms of Use may be published in several languages. In case of discrepancy the Finnish language version shall be considered authoritative.
5. Contacting Fairdata Services
To contact the service producer CSC, email servicedesk@csc.fi or call +358 9 457 2821.
Users are also welcome to give feedback about these Terms or any other aspect of our services.