De-identification - anonymization

De-identification, anonymization, pseudoanonymization, re-identification National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) documentation declares that the use of these terms is still unclear. Words de-identification, anonymizatio_ and _pseudoanonymization_ are sometimes interchangeable, sometimes carrying subtle different meanings. To mitigate ambiguity, NIST use definitions from ISO/TS 25237:2008: > de-identification: “general term for any process of removing the association between a set of identifying data and the data subject.” [p. 3] anonymization: “process that removes the association between the identifying dataset and the data subject.” [p. 2] pseudonymization: “particular type of anonymization that both removes the association with a data subject and adds an association between a particular set of characteristics relating to the data subject and one or more pseudonyms.”1 [p. 5] Brazilian portuguese literature largely lacks this terminology, and they are more often used in law or information technology. The utilization of these concepts in health care and research has a specific conceptualization. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), US regulation of health data privacy protection, establishes standards for patient personal information (protected health information - PHI) handling by health care providers (covered entities).