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Anonymization
Privacy
Transforming data to eliminate identifiability, ideally irreversibly.
Definition
Anonymization is a process that removes or alters identifiers so individuals cannot be identified, directly or indirectly, by reasonably likely means.
In plain English
Transforming data to eliminate identifiability, ideally irreversibly.
Why this matters
Why it matters: When done correctly, anonymized data reduces privacy risk, but weak methods can still allow re-identification.
Example
Example: Releasing only aggregated counts with safeguards, rather than row-level user data.