RE: Thanks for joining the W3C privacy workshop last week!

May I recommend this article in the June 2010 CACM by two of the leading researchers<http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/pressreleases/23072008_PETSFS.mspx> on (de-anonymisation

http://unescoprivadesa.urv.cat/media/_pdf/shmat_cacm10.pdf



It merits really close study - it is not just-another survey article

--

Caspar Bowden

Chief Privacy Adviser

Microsoft WW Technology Office

+44 (0) 7801 881371



> -----Original Message-----

> From: public-privacy-request@w3.org [mailto:public-privacy-request@w3.org]

> On Behalf Of David Singer

> Sent: 20 July 2010 11:11

> To: Thomas Roessler

> Cc: public-privacy@w3.org

> Subject: Re: Thanks for joining the W3C privacy workshop last week!

>

> Thomas, thanks for organizing it.  I found it hugely worthwhile, really thought-

> provoking. Thanks for all the great discussion.

>

> I was noodling around with the 'warning icons' and trying to come up with

> other texts, for what it's worth (though these icons presume a basis of 'normal'

> which we'd need to define first).

>

> here's a try:

>

> Data usage:  a) Data that personally identifies you is being used for other than

> the 'primary purpose'.

>    maybe add one for: Your data is anonymized and merged with other people's

> data. (But everyone does this).

>

> Data transactions:  We might sell or barter personally-identifiable data of

> yours.

>

> Legal usage: We may give personally identifiable data to law authorities when

> we could legally have resisted.

>

> Retention: After your transaction/account is over, and after any legally

> required retention period, we may continue to hold your data.  Stronger

> version: and you cannot ask to delete it.

>

> Advertising/3rd parties:  We convey personally identifiable data to our

> advertisers and other 3rd parties not involved in the primary purpose (e.g. for

> targeting).

>    Our advertisers/3rd parties, possibly with our help,  identify/track you on

> other sites as well.

>    We acquire data from advertisers/3rd parties and attach it to your personal

> data.

>

> (Security rating, not sure).

>

> (Building a profile, dealt with under ad/3rd parties)

>

> * * * * * *

>

> There is one warning I don't know how to phrase.  There are (at least) two

> steps possible in anonymization:

> a) your name and other identifiers are removed from the record, but then the

> record itself is kept intact (e.g. the database knows it had a one-legged male

> customer aged 23 living in Brighton, born in Venezuela, and buying

> rollerblades)

> b) the record itself is de-correlated (e.g. the database knows it had 3 people

> born in Venezuela, 561 customers in Brighton, 43 one-legged people, 56% male

> customers, and so on)

>

> The problem with doing only step (a) is, as was pointed out, remarkably few

> facts are enough to re-identify you...

>

>

> On Jul 19, 2010, at 22:52 , Thomas Roessler wrote:

>

> > Dear colleagues,

> >

> > I wanted to thank you all for joining the W3C privacy workshop last week.

> This is the first posting to the promised follow-up mailing list, public-<mailto:public-privacy@w3.org>

> privacy@w3.org<mailto:public-privacy@w3.org> (no pun intended).

> >

> > Please feel free to use this mailing list to follow up on the discussions we had

> at the workshop. Meanwhile, Dan and I are working on the workshop report

> and minutes that we hope to circulate here shortly.

> >

> > Note that the presentations are now all linked from the agenda page:

> >          http://www.w3.org/2010/api-privacy-ws/agenda.html

> >

> > Regards,

> > --

> > Thomas Roessler, W3C  <tlr@w3.org<mailto:tlr@w3.org>>  (@roessler)

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

> David Singer

> Multimedia and Software Standards, Apple Inc.

>

>