What is de-identification in data protection?

What is de-identification in data protection?

• A. De-identification is removing or masking personal identifiers to protect privacy.
• B. Replacing identifiers to improve data linkage.
• C. Publishing identifiers in public datasets.
• D. Keeping identifiers unchanged.

Answer: (A)

De-identification is the process of removing or masking personal identifiers to protect privacy. This means stripping out direct identifiers like names, addresses, or IDs and may involve replacing identifiers with codes or generalizing data (for example, using age ranges instead of exact ages). The aim is to allow data to be used or shared for analysis while keeping individuals' identities protected, though there can still be some residual re-identification risk if data are linked with other information. Because of that risk, de-identification is often accompanied by governance or expert assessment to manage privacy risk. Replacing identifiers to improve data linkage would run counter to de-identification, and publishing or keeping identifiers unchanged would expose or fail to protect privacy.

De-identification is the process of removing or masking personal identifiers to protect privacy. This means stripping out direct identifiers like names, addresses, or IDs and may involve replacing identifiers with codes or generalizing data (for example, using age ranges instead of exact ages). The aim is to allow data to be used or shared for analysis while keeping individuals' identities protected, though there can still be some residual re-identification risk if data are linked with other information. Because of that risk, de-identification is often accompanied by governance or expert assessment to manage privacy risk. Replacing identifiers to improve data linkage would run counter to de-identification, and publishing or keeping identifiers unchanged would expose or fail to protect privacy.