Data Anonymization Techniques

Definition: Altering/removing direct identifiers (name, SSN, email) but quasi-identifiers remain.

Regulatory: Still falls under GDPR — not considered anonymous.

AI Training: Dangerous — quasi-identifiers enable re-identification.

Definition: Replacing identifiers with artificial keys.

Regulatory: Supports security, not anonymity.

AI Training: Conditional.

Definition: Irreversibly stripped data.

Regulatory: The gold standard.

AI Training: Increasingly impossible.

Definition: Different reviewers make different judgment calls on what to remove — no fixed standard.

Regulatory: The new paradigm — context-driven rather than rule-driven.

AI Training: Highly viable, but consistency depends on reviewer expertise.