Latest news

2025-11-06 Introduced metadata support for new structures. The PEP Repository supports metadata for Cell Versions, Columns, Column Groups, Subject Groups, and from upcoming Release 1.6+ also Users and User Groups. Any data concerning the dataset can now be stored alongside the dataset. This can include data catalog descriptions, technical documents such as data collection configurations or data analysis scripts, but also manuals and legal documents such as instructions, data use agreements and access request forms, but also runtime application interface settings, such as how to let an application display the contents of a column, etc.

2025-11-06 The PEP Download Tool is a basic wrapper around pepcli (the command line interface client), which asks the user to authenticate and select a directory on their machine using a gui widget, and downloads the data for the user to that location in CSV format, avoiding interaction with the command line interface.

2025-07-01 The command line interface and assessor clients for PEP Repository project partners are now also available for macOS via a digitally signed macOS installer, including support for automated software updates.

2025-07-01 CSV/JSON export. The PEP Repository can be used to archive and share data of all types and formats. Large and small, readable and binary blobs/archives. The default transport pulled data format is a single file for every cell. Yet for small(er) text files, a data conversion method has been added to the command line interface client, which can export the table of Rows/'Data Subjects' and Data Columns to an integrated CSV or JSON file, optionally including links to larg(er) and binary files.

2025-04-09 To support NOLAI projects and future users, PEP Connectors were introduced. PEP Connectors are configured automated interfaces between the PEP Repository and external sources or targets. For example, to import data from external API's and export to the PEP Repository, or to send automated emails based on templates, including data fields from the PEP Repository.

2025-02-24 We started building 'PEPWebLib'. A webbrowser client library that allows direct communication with the PEP Repository, including end-to-end-encryption support for data uploading and downloading using polymorphic encryption in the webbrowser. PEPWebLib is written in C++ (like most PEP software) and compiled to WebAssembly. It will be shipped with a TypeScript/JavaScript end user library, and allow webdevelopers to create webbased interfaces for the PEP Repository.

2025-01-04 New pepcli autocompletion helps the command line user finding the correct commands and flags, speeding up work and preventing typo's.

2024-12-17 Token blocklist management is released since version 1.2. This functionality allows the Acces Administrator to block issued tokens with a single client command.

2024-12-17 We switched to semver (semantic versioning) for the PEP Repository software. Instead of 'the version of December 17 2024' this version is called 1.2. The next normal release will be 1.3 and so on. Small patches on such releases will be noted with a third digit and major releases (typically with major impact on the setup) will increment the first number. Details on the current release and contents can be found in our CHANGELOG on Github.

2024-12-12 The PEP Repository source code is now available on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 Open Source License.

2023-12-07 Privacy by design is at the core of the PEP Repository. We only share the subset of the repository that is required for the User Group. Thus far, the downloading party should additionally specify what rows and columns of the repository need to be downloaded. This is still possible, and can reduce bandwidth for at that time not required cells. As of the latest releace, the introduction of the pull --all-accessible flag makes using the command line interface much easier for most basic users, serving all data the downloading User is entitled to.

2023-08-18 Project partner binaries for Linux are now available as Flatpak images. Flatpak images can be used for most Linux distribions, and make it easy to install, update and run applications. The Flatpak images are configured in such a way that configurations for different repositories (for different projects, but also for acceptance and production) can be easily installed and executed side-by-side on the same system.

2022-10-21 The newly formed National Education Lab AI (in Dutch: Nationaal Onderwijslab AI), abbreviated to NOLAI, has committed to using PEP to safely store and exchange data for its research projects. See their website for more information on NOLAI.

2021-07-15 The PEP team is excited to announce collaboration on the OpenPlanet platform with partners imec, Wageningen University & Research, and Radboudumc. OpenPlanet is a digital ecosystem for collecting, analyzing, and sharing data on health, sustainable agriculture, and nutrition.

2020-04-15 We have provisioned a PEP testing environment to the Chronic Pain Network. We will work together with IVIDO to develop an infrastructure for privacy-friendly sharing of patient data for research purposes.

2020-02-14 All data from the Personalized Parkinson Project have been moved to Google Cloud Storage. This marks a new milestone at the PEP Repository. The system can now accomodate more then 1 petabyte of data.

2019-09-09 The Healthy Brain Study has started using the PEP system, which has been adapted to this project. The first participants have been included in the study - and thus in the PEP-system - today.

2019-07-18 The Healthy Brain Study has started testing the PEP system, in preparation for the start of the data collection phase.

2019-07-15 The Personalized Parkinson Project has uploaded the entire backlog of clinical data and study-watch data to the PEP research data repository. From now on data will be uploaded on a regular basis while they are collected.

2019-02-27 The Healthy Brain Study has decided to use the PEP-data repository, starting with the data collection phase of the project. A final decision on use of the system for data sharing as well will be made on a later date.

2018-11-09 The PEP data repository for the Personalized Parkinson Project was moved to a distributed infrastructure. Three differrent hosting partners are currently managing parts of the system.

2018-08-30 The network for improvement of care for patients with chronic pain has received a European grant to build a digital platform connecting patients and professionals. The PEP-team of Digital Security is part of this consortium and contributes PEP-technology to enable researchers to use data gathered in this digital platform in a privacy friendly and secure way. The entire project will take about 3 years to complete.

2018-02-20 Infographic explaining the PEP implementation for the Personalized Parkinson Project. Available as PDF.

2017-11-13 First study participant has been included. Registration and pseudonymisation of data during the data-collection phase works as designed.

2017-11-01 Version 1.0, has been partly refactored and extended and placed into production environment.

2017-06-29 Version 1.0, supporting the data- and sample collection phase in Personalised Parkinson Project (PPP) is finished. This version will be used for unit tests in the coming months, in preparation of the actual start of PPP scheduled for september.

2017-05-31 Jean Popma's presentation at the PI-lab about Privacy by Design & PEP.

2017-03-30 Alpha for version 1 has been finished.

2016-10-12 Hans Harmannij, one of our team members, has won the Joop Bautz Information Security Award for his master's thesis about Polymorphic Pseudonymization in Educational Identity Federations.

2016-09-30 Mentioning of PEP in national NOS news bulletins, at 8:30 (at 1:55) and at 20:00 (at 13:35).

2016-09-30 Several online articles about PEP e.g. at NOS and also NOS, Tweakers, and Skipr.

2016-07-04 Column about the project by Jaap-Henk Hoepman in the Financieel Dagblad. Available as PDF.

2016-05-15 Blog post by Lucien Engelen about the PEP project.