Database Deidentification Methods
Deidentification methods are usually implemented as part of the database management system hosting the data. Sensitive fields will be tagged for deidentification whenever a query or report is run.
# Types of Deidentification
- Data Masking
- A field might be partially redacted to preserve metadata for analysis purposes
- Irreversible
- Tokenization
- All or part of date in a field is replaced with a randomly generated token
- Original value can be retrieved if necessary by authorized party
- Substitute for encryption
- Aggregation or Banding
- Generalizes the data, such as substituting a specific age with a broader age range
- Hashing and Salting
- Used for either indexing or storage for data that shouldn’t be plaintext