In order to share sensitive data publicly, you must remove or obscure* all identifiers that would allow the data to be linked to an individual or small group of individuals. You have two options:
De-identify data |
Remove or obscure all identifiers, but preserve a key code in a separate location that could be used to re-link the data and the identifiers. |
Anonymize data |
Remove or obscure all identifiers and destroy any key codes that could be used to re-link data and identifiers. |
For longer definitions of de-identified information and anonymized information, please see the Glossary (Appendix E) of NIST's Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information
*In some datasets, identifiers can be obscured/masked instead of being removed. For information about how to obscure a variable to prevent identification, see the following references (arranged in order of increasing detail):
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