De-identification – an essential tool for protecting privacy

Press Release – TORONTO, ON (June 25, 2014) – As technological advances make it easier to collect, retain, use, disclose, and leverage personal information for a wide range of secondary uses, the need to protect privacy becomes more important than ever. Strong de-identification of data, prior to its use or disclosure for secondary purposes, is one of the most effective ways to protect the privacy of individuals.

Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, and Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information, Dr. Khaled El Emam, have issued a new white paper, “De-identification Protocols: Essential for Protecting Privacy.” This paper asserts that if organizations do not strongly protect the privacy of individuals in the information being sought for secondary uses, there may be far-reaching implications for both the individuals and the organizations involved.  When individuals lose their trust and confidence in the ability of an organization to protect their privacy, the reputation of that organization will be irreparably damaged in the process.

De-identification – an essential tool for protecting privacy