This project aims to resolve the tension between protecting individuals’ data privacy and data reuse for research, especially when utilizing large-scale computational analysis tools. Focusing on social media data, SOMAR is developing collection and analysis pipelines to manage these challenges effectively. SOMAR has pioneered a cloud-based, elastic virtual data enclave (VDE) that supports large-scale social media data analysis. This VDE is Linux and cloud-based, unlike traditional Windows-based virtual desktop infrastructure VDEs that struggle with the scale of social media data. It maintains ICPSR’s standards for privacy protection while extending its capabilities to a broader range of large-scale, sensitive data. Researchers use social media data extensively across various fields to analyze and predict trends in politics, public health, and the labor market, among others. These datasets are large and necessitate computational analysis methods, exacerbating disparities in computational resources and skills among researchers. The data is also potentially sensitive because it uses content generated by individuals and contains personally identifying details and contributions. They also may not have intended their data to have broad audiences or to be used in research. SOMAR is targeting researchers who need social media data for research on issues such as US elections, political speeches, and international conflicts. The project will generate metadata and datasets that become discoverable and accessible through SOMAR’s website. Also, a data lake system will facilitate cross-platform and linked-data research while conforming to web archiving and data privacy standards. The project work plan is divided into two phases: Collect and store social media data SOMAR will collaborate with social media platforms and set up active data collection systems. Improve SOMAR collection search and analysis SOMAR will enhance the secure VDE with linking data, indexing data, and applying machine learning models to the archived data. Ultimately, SOMAR will enable researchers to conduct their analyses using the enclave’s computing resources, avoiding data leakage and ensuring privacy. This enclave provides approved researchers with the necessary data and resources for their studies, and all results undergo a manual risk review before being exported. After the project ends, SOMAR will continue its operations as a part of ICPSR, supported by over 825 research institutions with significant experience in data archiving and services.