Comments on: Anonymous data that isn’t http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/08/09/anonymous-data-that-isnt/ Security Research, Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:11:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Anon http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/08/09/anonymous-data-that-isnt/#comment-1072 Anon Tue, 15 Aug 2006 09:51:13 +0000 http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/08/09/anonymous-data-that-isnt/#comment-1072 re:NHS - Secondary Use Service, One has to ask why they don't recruit you Ross! or someone under your tuition/supervision. I certainly made my NHS IG colleagues aware of your work (Chapter 8, Medical records, inference etc), I think a comment from a previous IG director was what do you know Ross! (cough cough), I felt my resignation letter began there! Anyway it's politics, delivery is king! for CFH, not what's right. That's my experience of 2 years of working there. re:NHS - Secondary Use Service,
One has to ask why they don’t recruit you Ross! or someone under your tuition/supervision.

I certainly made my NHS IG colleagues aware of your work (Chapter 8, Medical records, inference etc), I think a comment from a previous IG director was what do you know Ross! (cough cough), I felt my resignation letter began there!

Anyway it’s politics, delivery is king! for CFH, not what’s right. That’s my experience of 2 years of working there.

]]> By: Ian Brown http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/08/09/anonymous-data-that-isnt/#comment-988 Ian Brown Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:51:39 +0000 http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/08/09/anonymous-data-that-isnt/#comment-988 Boing Boing has a couple of posts pointing out how this AOL data can be deanonymised: <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2006/08/10/the_search_engine_co.html" rel="nofollow">The Search Engine Confessions of AOL User 23187425</a> <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2006/08/09/aols_user_query_data.html" rel="nofollow">AOL's user query database has been splunk'd</a> Boing Boing has a couple of posts pointing out how this AOL data can be deanonymised:

The Search Engine Confessions of AOL User 23187425

AOL’s user query database has been splunk’d

]]> By: Ambersail Infosec Roundup » Blog Archive » Nonanonymity http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/08/09/anonymous-data-that-isnt/#comment-969 Ambersail Infosec Roundup » Blog Archive » Nonanonymity Wed, 09 Aug 2006 21:37:47 +0000 http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/08/09/anonymous-data-that-isnt/#comment-969 [...] I note this posting with interest. It would seem that AOL is not the only company that does not fully understand how to de-identify personal data. [...] [...] I note this posting with interest. It would seem that AOL is not the only company that does not fully understand how to de-identify personal data. [...]

]]> By: Richard Clayton http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/08/09/anonymous-data-that-isnt/#comment-967 Richard Clayton Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:16:51 +0000 http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/08/09/anonymous-data-that-isnt/#comment-967 AOL's motivation in releasing their data was <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/08/07/aol-this-was-a-screw-up/" rel="nofollow">apparently to encourage researchers</a> to use their real data so as to improve the user experience for searching. Encouraging research is fine, their main error was in not properly controlling the way the data was used. Many researchers are interested in <a href="http://www.ee.ucl.ac.uk/~lsacks/acse/masts/" rel="nofollow">processing traffic data from TCP/IP networks</a>. They hope to better understand the real impact of congestion algorithms, tweaks to network stacks etc. This data is usually anonymised before being handed over -- but some of it can be deanonymised because particular machines will have particular patterns of traffic that could be picked out. <a href="http://www.ja.net/" rel="nofollow">UKERNA</a> are tackling this by only releasing traffic data to researchers who have signed an appropriate agreement ("Provision of Traffic Data for Research Use" [not yet published]) one of the terms of which is that the researcher contracts "not make any attempt to decompile, interfere, manipulate or otherwise take any action in respect of the Data which may have the result of revealing either message content or Personal Data contained in that Data, unless expressly permitted in the Data Specification;". Assuming of course that researchers are honest and law abiding, this permits academic research without infringing people's privacy. AOL should look around and see how other people have dealt with the issues and not conclude that releasing data for research is inherently impossible. AOL’s motivation in releasing their data was apparently to encourage researchers to use their real data so as to improve the user experience for searching. Encouraging research is fine, their main error was in not properly controlling the way the data was used.

Many researchers are interested in processing traffic data from TCP/IP networks. They hope to better understand the real impact of congestion algorithms, tweaks to network stacks etc. This data is usually anonymised before being handed over — but some of it can be deanonymised because particular machines will have particular patterns of traffic that could be picked out. UKERNA are tackling this by only releasing traffic data to researchers who have signed an appropriate agreement (”Provision of Traffic Data for Research Use” [not yet published]) one of the terms of which is that the researcher contracts “not make any attempt to decompile, interfere, manipulate or otherwise take any action in respect of the Data which may have the result of revealing either message content or Personal Data contained in that Data, unless expressly permitted in the Data Specification;”.

Assuming of course that researchers are honest and law abiding, this permits academic research without infringing people’s privacy. AOL should look around and see how other people have dealt with the issues and not conclude that releasing data for research is inherently impossible.

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