Data Anonymisation: What is it?

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Anonymisation refers to the process of removing or modifying personal identifier, both direct and indirect. 

Anonymisation results in anonymised data that cannot be associated with any one individual.

Direct Identifier
A data attribute which, on its own, identifies an individual (e.g. fingerprint) or has been assigned to an individual (e.g. NRIC).

Indirect Identifier
A data attribute which, by itself, does not identify an individual, but when combined with other information, may identify an individual.

De-identification
Removal of identifying information from a dataset. This data could potentially be re-identified.

Re-identification
Identifying a person by recombining de-identified dataset and identifying information.

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• Allows data to be used by others while still protecting the privacy of individuals and organisations.
• Allows data to be used by others while still complying with regulations (e.g. Singapore Personal Data Protection Act, EU General Data Protection Regulation) and/or contractual obligations.