Generalization
Examples include replacing an exact age with an age band, a street address with a region, or a timestamp with a date. Generalization can lower re-identification risk while preserving useful patterns, but it also reduces analytical detail. The chosen level should reflect the purpose, dataset size, uniqueness of combinations, and the other information an attacker or recipient might have.
What is Generalization?
Generalization is a privacy technique that reduces the precision of data so individual records blend into larger groups.
Why it matters
Examples include replacing an exact age with an age band, a street address with a region, or a timestamp with a date. Generalization can lower re-identification risk while preserving useful patterns, but it also reduces analytical detail. The chosen level should reflect the purpose, dataset size, uniqueness of combinations, and the other information an attacker or recipient might have.
Example
A report uses five-year age ranges and broad geographic regions instead of exact birth dates and postcodes.