What is "de-identification"?

De-identification refers to the process of modifying personally identifiable information (PII) so that individuals cannot be readily identified from the data. This process is crucial in privacy management because it allows organizations to use and share data for analysis without exposing individuals’ identities.

This can involve techniques such as removing names, altering unique identifiers, or aggregating data, thus reducing the risk of re-identification while still retaining the information's utility for research, analysis, or operational purposes. De-identification helps organizations comply with legal obligations regarding privacy while still being able to analyze and utilize data effectively.

In contrast, removing all collected data would completely eliminate the possibility of analysis, and restricting access to data administrators does not address the issue of how the data could still potentially identify individuals. Finally, while total anonymization aims to make it impossible to identify individuals, de-identification allows for some level of data retention and potential re-identification under specific conditions, making it a less extreme and often more practical approach.