From Newsgroup: alt.privacy.anon-server


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(translated into english https://www.deepl.com) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymisierung_und_Pseudonymisierung >Anonymization and pseudonymization

Anonymization and pseudonymization are data protection measures. >Anonymization is the modification of personal data in such a way that this data
can no longer be attributed to a specific or identifiable natural person, or only
with a disproportionate amount of time, cost and effort. Complete anonymization
is very difficult to achieve.
In pseudonymization, the name or another identification feature is replaced by a
pseudonym (usually a code consisting of a combination of letters or numbers) in
order to exclude or make it considerably more difficult to determine the identity
of the data subject (for Germany, see Section 3 (6a) BDSG or corresponding state
law).
In Germany, pseudonymization is required by law in the online sector, and it is
illegal to use a clear name. Exceptions only apply if it is not reasonable for >the provider due to the nature of the processes, e.g. for online purchases, >online banking, etc.), Section 19 (2)[1] TDDDG:
"Providers of digital services shall enable the use of digital services and
their payment anonymously or under a pseudonym, insofar as this is technically >possible and reasonable. The user of digital services shall be informed of this
possibility."
In contrast to anonymization, pseudonymization preserves references to different
data records that have been pseudonymized in the same way.
Pseudonymization therefore makes it possible - with the help of a key - to >assign data to a person, which is not possible or only possible with difficulty
without this key, as data and identification features are separate. It is >therefore crucial that a combination of person and data is still possible. >The more meaningful the collection of data is (e.g. income, medical history, >place of residence, height), the greater the theoretical possibility of assigning
it to a specific person and being able to identify them even without a code. In
order to maintain anonymity, this data may have to be separated or falsified to
make it more difficult to establish identity.
The targeted removal of a previous anonymization is called de-anonymization. >The General Data Protection Regulation does not apply to anonymized data.[2] >Examples
Examples Pseudonymization
A pseudonym is used as an email address and nickname on the internet. The
communication partners do not know the real identity. If this is known to the >service provider, it will be disclosed upon request (e.g. in the event of a civil
lawsuit or criminal investigation). Alternatively or additionally, remailers can
be used that prevent the message content from being traced by anonymizing the >header.
If a professor at a university wants to make the results of a (written) exam
easily accessible to the students, he asks them to write down a pseudonym of >their choice on the sheets during the exam. After the correction, the professor
can publish a notice (possibly also on the Internet) in which all results are >listed according to the scheme <pseudonym> <grade>. Thus, the assignment of the
pseudonym to the respective student can only be established by the professor or,
in individual cases, by the student.
Examples of anonymization
If, in the "professor" example above, the examination sheets with the
pseudonyms noted by the students were to be destroyed afterwards, the information
on the grading notice would be anonymized for the general public, as it would no
longer be possible to assign them to the respective students. However, every >student will be able to recognize his or her entry on the notice of grades >because he or she has memorized his or her pseudonym.
A secret ballot in elections is based on the principle of anonymization (cf.
secrecy of the ballot). Although it is still possible to trace who has voted, it
is no longer possible to match the ballot paper to the voter.
Aggregation, i.e. combining different data sets into a common group, can
lead to anonymization. Here it depends on the parameters, such as the size of the
group and the individual characteristics of the group.[3] A calculated grade >point average for 100 participants in an examination can be described as >sufficiently anonymized; a grade point average for two participants might allow
conclusions to be drawn about the individuals.
Reputation of the Internet user
Pseudonyms are considered permissible on the Internet and their use is even >enshrined in Section 13 of the German Telemedia Act. The prerequisite is that the
"service providers have no knowledge of the unlawful act or information and, in
the case of claims for damages, are not aware of any facts or circumstances from
which the unlawful act or information becomes apparent, or have taken immediate
action to remove the information or block access to it as soon as they become >aware of it." However, the actual use of pseudonyms triggers reactions in society:
Anonymous: A person's reputation seems to be diminished when they act >anonymously. For many people, the desire to "hide something" means that "you have
something to hide."[4] The rule of law is also trying to intervene, as complete
anonymization hinders criminal prosecution.[5] It became particularly clear in >the discussion about data retention that the criminal authorities are >increasingly trying to gain access to data.
Pseudonym: Since access to the connection data of real persons is possible under
the rule of law when using pseudonyms, the suspicion of "wanting to hide >something" may be minimized. However, the fact remains that some people who use
pseudonyms think they are "anonymous" and act accordingly. This is why some >complain about the decline of the "culture of etiquette" associated with >pseudonyms on the internet[6] or create rules for correct behaviour on the >internet.[7] On the other hand, some defend the use of pseudonyms as a >prerequisite for shielding individual freedom of expression and personal >development from state, social or political restrictions.[8]
As can be seen from the above examples, the so-called anonymization or >pseudonymization services have an open point in the systems they use: System >administrators have insight into the data and activities of Internet users. As >internal misuse represents a serious threat from the Internet alongside hackers,
service providers try to protect themselves.
Possible protective measures by service providers
Service providers who are committed to privacy on the Internet want to ensure >that Internet users trust them by means of anonymization on the Internet.[9] The
question of who has access to the data is important here. The following >mechanisms play a role in protection:
Laws of the respective country where the servers are located (see also data
protection law)
Internal guidelines or technical organizational measures[10]
Technical exclusion of the operator's employees[11]
Literature
Andreas Pfitzmann, Marit Hansen: Anonymity, Unlinkability, Undetectability,
Unobservability, Pseudonymity, and Identity Management - A Consolidated Proposal
for Terminology. (PDF; 824 kB) TU Dresden, ULD Kiel, 2008.
Individual references
s. Section 19 TDDDG - individual standard. Retrieved on January 28, 2025. >Recital 26 GDPR.
Glossary: "aggregated". In: dsgvo-vorlagen.de. Retrieved on April 13, 2021 >(German).
Eric Schmidt (Board of Directors at Google): "If you have something that you >don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."
on youtube
Interior Minister Friedrich calls for an end to anonymity online. In: >spiegel.de. August 7, 2011, accessed January 28, 2025.
Anonymitat Internet auf zeit.de
Benimm-Seite von Knigge: Eetiquette. (Memento from June 24, 2019 in the Internet
Archive) In: eetiquette.de
Jillian C. York: A Case for Pseudonyms. In: Electronic Frontier Foundation, July
29, 2011.
Data protection: Can we really trust cloud services? In: express.de. 29 June >2012, archived from the original (no longer available online) on 26 July 2014; >retrieved on 28 January 2025.
Technische und organisatorische Massnahmen (Memento vom 15. Oktober 2012 im >Internet Archive) In: bfdi.bund.de, Bundesbeauftragter fnr den Datenschutz und >die Informationsfreiheit - BfDI.
siehe Sealed Cloud. (Memento from March 12, 2017 in the Internet Archive) In: >aisec.fraunhofer.de, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security -
AISEC.
Please note the legal information!
Categories:
AnonymityAnonymization procedureDistortion (empiricism)
This page was last edited on 28 January 2025, at 13:24.
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