MetaTrack – Terms of Use and Data Handling Policy

Version: 1.0

Last updated: [12 February 2026]

1. Intended Use

MetaTrack is a secure, web-based platform for storing, managing, sharing, and archiving life science data and associated metadata in accordance with FAIR principles.

The primary purpose of MetaTrack is to support researchers, data stewards, and infrastructure providers in organizing, contextualizing, and sharing research data and metadata across the life sciences, including bioinformatics and health-related research, while enabling collaboration, discovery, and reuse.

MetaTrack is intended for research and infrastructure use. It is not designed for clinical care, diagnostic decision-making, or other operational healthcare purposes.

MetaTrack is designed to support responsible early discoverability of selected non-sensitive metadata in order to enhance collaboration and alignment with FAIR principles, while ensuring that underlying datasets remain access-controlled unless explicitly released by the data owner.

2. Service Provider

MetaTrack is developed, operated, and maintained by ELIXIR Norway.

ELIXIR Norway provides MetaTrack as a shared research infrastructure service and does not claim ownership of user-uploaded data.

3. User Accounts and Access

Access to MetaTrack requires user authentication. Users are responsible for:

  • Maintaining the confidentiality of their login credentials
  • Ensuring that access rights granted to collaborators are appropriate
  • Immediately notifying the service provider of any suspected unauthorized access

Access levels and permissions are managed within the platform and may vary by project, dataset, or role.

4. Uploaded Data and Metadata

4.1 Data Ownership

Users and/or their institutions retain full ownership of all data and metadata uploaded to MetaTrack.

By uploading data, users grant ELIXIR Norway a limited, non-exclusive right to store, process, back up, and make the data available according to the access permissions defined by the user.

4.2 User Responsibility

Users are solely responsible for ensuring that:

  • They have the legal right to upload and share the data
  • Uploaded data complies with applicable laws, regulations, funder requirements, and institutional policies
  • Appropriate consent and approvals have been obtained where required
  • By submitting data to MetaTrack, users acknowledge and agree to the metadata discoverability provisions described in Section 4.5.

4.3 Prohibited Data

MetaTrack must not be used to store or process sensitive personal data as defined under the GDPR, including but not limited to:

  • Special categories of personal data (GDPR Article 9)
  • Genetic, biometric, or health data relating to identifiable individuals

Users must ensure that uploaded datasets are either non-personal or sufficiently anonymized. For projects requiring secure processing of sensitive personal data, users should rely on dedicated services designed for such purposes.

(This restriction follows the same principles applied in other ELIXIR Norway infrastructures NeLS.)

4.4 Data Access and Sharing

Users control access to their data and metadata through the platform’s permission settings. Data may be:

  • Private
  • Shared with specific collaborators
  • Made openly discoverable, where applicable

Metadata may remain discoverable even when data access is restricted, in order to support FAIR data discovery.

4.5 Early Metadata Discoverability

To promote early discoverability and foster scientific collaboration, MetaTrack enables limited search functionality across selected non-sensitive contextual metadata fields prior to formal publication of the underlying datasets.

By uploading data and metadata to MetaTrack, users acknowledge and agree that selected contextual metadata may be made searchable within the MetaTrack discovery interface, even when the associated datasets remain private or under controlled access.

The searchable metadata fields may include:

  • Scientific name
  • Host scientific name
  • Collection year
  • Isolation source
  • Data owner (Institute)
  • Sequencing technology

The purpose of this limited metadata exposure is to:

  • Enhance early discoverability of ongoing research activities
  • Enable identification of complementary datasets
  • Facilitate potential collaboration between research groups
  • Support responsible data stewardship aligned with FAIR principles

Importantly:

  • No raw sequence data, primary research data, or sensitive metadata are exposed through this discovery functionality.
  • No dataset content is made publicly accessible without explicit release by the data owner.
  • Access to full datasets remains subject to project-level access control and user permissions.

Users are responsible for ensuring that metadata entered into MetaTrack does not contain confidential, restricted, or sensitive information that should not be discoverable.

4.6 Data Retention and Removal

MetaTrack is intended for medium- to long-term storage of research data and metadata.

Users may request removal of their data. ELIXIR Norway reserves the right to retain metadata records necessary for audit, provenance, or integrity of the platform, unless otherwise required by law.

5. Data Security, Backup, and Availability

MetaTrack implements technical and organizational measures to protect data against unauthorized access, loss, or alteration.

The platform follows principles similar to other ELIXIR Norway infrastructures with respect to redundancy, monitoring, and operational security, but does not provide guarantees against data loss.

Users are encouraged to maintain independent copies of critical data.

6. FAIR Data and Metadata Quality

MetaTrack is designed to support FAIR data practices. Users are encouraged to:

  • Provide accurate, complete, and structured metadata
  • Use recommended standards, ontologies, and controlled vocabularies
  • Maintain metadata quality throughout the data lifecycle

ELIXIR Norway may provide guidance, validation tools, or templates but does not assume responsibility for the scientific correctness of user-submitted metadata.

7. Acceptable Use

Users agree not to:

  • Upload unlawful, misleading, or malicious content
  • Attempt to bypass security or access controls
  • Use the platform in ways that compromise system performance or integrity

ELIXIR Norway reserves the right to suspend or terminate access in case of misuse.

8. Limitation of Liability

MetaTrack is provided “as is” and “as available”.

ELIXIR Norway makes no warranties regarding availability, performance, or suitability for specific purposes and shall not be liable for loss of data, loss of results, or indirect damages arising from use of the service.

9. Amendments

These Terms of Use may be updated periodically. Continued use of MetaTrack after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

10. Relationship to Privacy Policy

Processing of personal data related to user accounts, authentication, logs, and support is governed by the MetaTrack Privacy Policy, which forms a separate document.

11. Contact

For questions regarding MetaTrack, its use, or these Terms, please contact: support@elixir.no