Demystifying the Data Anonymization Process: Myths and Best Practices

Many well-meaning and ambitious researchers get tangled in the process of data anonymization. A thoughtful approach to anonymization is critical to achieving regulatory compliance, protecting individual privacy while maintaining the usefulness of the data for other researchers. What is required of ethical researchers to anonymize data? How can anonymization be applied in a way that is not practical and effective researchers? Planning for data protection across the research lifecycle both mitigates risks to research subjects and facilitates sharing of data for replication and reuse. During this webinar, Dr. Micah Altman shares myths about information privacy that deter researchers from sharing data. He also shares selected best practices for anonymization and the treatment of personally identifiable information in datasets. The STEM Education Hub is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) award DRL-1937698. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations contained within the STEM Education Hub are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of NSF.