Lesson 5 Confidentiality
Lesson 5 Confidentiality. MEASURE Evaluation PHFI Training of Trainers May 2011. Objective. Discuss issues of confidentiality and spatial tools Present strategies for protecting confidentiality. Confidentiality. Protecting identity of individuals Requirement Informed consent agreements
Lesson 5 Confidentiality
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Lesson 5 Confidentiality MEASURE Evaluation PHFI Training of Trainers May 2011
Objective • Discuss issues of confidentiality and spatial tools • Present strategies for protecting confidentiality
Confidentiality • Protecting identity of individuals • Requirement • Informed consent agreements • Ethical research
Overt disclosure The act of explicitly making data available that breaches confidentiality commitments.
Deductive Disclosure 45 year old female 45 year old female Has 5 children 45 year old female Has 5 children Works for General Electric in Delhi 28.67171, 77.21211
Spatial Data • Overt disclosure • Makes deductive disclosure easier
Geoprivacy “[an] individual’s right to prevent disclosure of the location of one’s home, workplace, daily activities or trips.” Protection of geoprivacy and accuracy of Spatial Information: How Effective are Geographical Masks? Kwan, Casas, Schmitz Cartographica, Vol 39, #2
Four Principles • Protection of Confidentiality • Social-Spatial Linkage • Data Sharing • Data Preservation Confidentiality and spatially explicit data: Concerns and challenges VanWey, Rindfuss, Gutmann, Entwisle, Balk PNAS, vol. 102, no. 43
1. Protection of Confidentiality • Fundamental to ethical research • Information that might lead to physical, emotional, financial or other harm • Protection of information that discloses identity
2. Social-Spatial Linkage • All human activity takes place on earth • Understanding that adds context and perspective • Key to advancement of science • Essential for understanding the diffusion of behaviors
3. Data Sharing • Essential on both scientific and financial grounds • Provide access to data for other researchers • Condition of funders
4. Data Preservation • Data available in the future • How long should data be deemed “sensitive”? • When, if ever, can it be released
Random Perturbations • Random shifting of point locations • Pros: Easy (relatively) to do • Cons: Lose original location, introduces error
Affine Transformation • Change scale • Rotate • Shift a set distance • Combination • Pros: Easy to do • Cons: Easy to undo, can impact some types of analysis
Aggregate • Point locations are aggregated to higher unit of analysis • Pros: Easy to do • Cons: Requires sufficient data points, Finer data variations will be lost
Despatialize • Remove Coordinate System • Use Euclidean space • Pros: Simple, keeps relative position and placement • Cons: Loses contextual data
Nothing • Do not collect or release data • Cold room or on-site analysis only • Pros: Maintains all of the original spatial data • Cons: Complicated, limits data sharing, limits social-spatial link
“Ignoring is unacceptable” • Can get lost in the excitement about GIS • Those who collect data must think about the confidentiality issues • Data users must also think about how their analysis may increase the risk of deductive disclosure.
Key points • Confidentiality issues arise when spatial context is included in data. • It’s important to protect confidentiality. People have an expectation that their identities are protected. • There are strategies that can preserve confidentiality, but there is no “one-size-fits-all solution”