J-PAL Guide to De-Identifying Data

Developed by J-PAL’s Sarah Kooper, Anja Sautmann, and James Turrito, this guide includes:

  • An overview of personally identifiable information (PII) and the responsibility of data users not to use data to try to identify human subjects
  • Recommendations for handling direct identifiers (such as full name, social security number, or phone number), as well as indirect identifiers (such as month/year of birth, nationality, or gender)
  • Guidance on de-identification steps to take throughout the research process, such as encrypting all data containing identifying information as soon as possible
  • A list of common identifiers, including those labeled by the United States’ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines as direct identifiers
  • And more.

See also the accompanying Guide to Publishing Research Data.