Which best describes the scenario where a researcher loses a research file consisting only of aggregated numerical data?

In the scenario described, the researcher loses a research file that consists solely of aggregated numerical data. Key to understanding this situation is the nature of "aggregated" data. Aggregated data means that individual responses have been combined to produce summary statistics, which do not contain identifiable information about individual subjects.

Since aggregated data does not reveal details about individual participants, losing a file of this type does not compromise individual subjects' privacy nor does it breach confidentiality. Privacy violations occur when identifiable information about individuals is exposed. Similarly, confidentiality breaches involve the unauthorized disclosure of personal data that can identify subjects. In this case, because the data is aggregated and not linked to individual identifiers, neither of these violations occurs. Thus, this scenario falls under the category where neither privacy is violated nor confidentiality is breached.