De-identifying government datasets:
Simson Garfinkel, Joseph P. Near, Aref N. Dajani, Phyllis Singer, Barbara Guttman · 2023
De-identification is a general term for any process of removing the association between a set of identifying data and the data subject. This document describes the use of de-identification with the goal of preventing or limiting disclosure risks to individuals and establishments while still allowing for the production of meaningful statistical analysis. Government agencies can use de-identification to reduce the privacy risk associated with collecting, processing, archiving, distributing, or publishing government data. Previously, NIST IR 8053, De-Identification of Personal Information, provided a detailed survey of de-identification and re-identification techniques. This document provides specific guidance to government agencies that wish to use de-identification. Before using de-identification, agencies should evaluate their goals for using de-identification and the potential risks that releasing de-identified data might create. Agencies should decide upon a data-sharing model, such as publishing de-identified data, publishing synthetic data based on identified data, providing a query interface that incorporates de-identification, or sharing data in non-public protected enclaves. Agencies can create a Disclosure Review Board to oversee the process of de-identification. They can also adopt a de-identification standard with measurable performance levels and perform re-identification studies to gauge the risk associated with de-identification. Several specific techniques for de-identification are available, including de-identification by removing identifiers, transforming quasi-identifiers, and generating synthetic data using models. People who perform de-identification generally use special-purpose software tools to perform the data manipulation and calculate the likely risk of re-identification. However, not all tools that merely mask personal information provide sufficient functionality for performing de-identification. This document also includes an extensive list of references, a glossary, and a list of specific de-identification tools, which is only included to convey the range of tools currently available and is not intended to imply a recommendation or endorsement by NIST.