Not barmy.
I worked on something like this years ago in connection with security
systems for hospital computer access.
You need a function that maps from your identifiers to a key, but where the
reverse function is indeterminate in some way so that the key cannot be
mapped back to the identifiers. If nobody else has anything to hand, I could
probably work it out again.
John Langley
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
> [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2002 13:29
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: FW: Anonymising data
>
>
>
>
> ----------
> From: p=NHS NATIONAL
> INT;a=NHS;c=GB;dda:RFC-822=PUBLIC-HEALTH-INTELLIGENCE(a)JISCMAIL.A
> C.UK;[X400:C=GB;A=NHS;P=NHS NATIONAL
> INT;DDA:RFC-822=PUBLIC-HEALTH-INTELLIGENCE(A)JISCMAIL.AC.UK;]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2002 3:28:53 PM
> To: p=NHS NATIONAL
> INT;a=NHS;c=GB;dda:RFC-822=PUBLIC-HEALTH-INTELLIGENCE(a)JISCMAIL.AC.UK;
> Subject: Anonymising data
> Auto forwarded by a Rule
>
> Does anyone know a way of anonymising data is such a way that you can
> assign individual identifiers that cannot be unpicked inot sensitive
> data, but can always generate the same identifier given the same
> sensitive data (e.g. postcode, date of birth and sex)? or is this just
> barmy?
>
> thanks in anticipation
>
> Dr Julian Flowers, Consultant in Public Health Medicine & Technical
> Director,
> Eastern Region Public Health Observatory
> Institute of Public Health, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 2SR
> 01223 330348; 01223 330345 (fax);
> [log in to unmask]; www.erpho.org.uk
>
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