A data privacy tool has been developed to help ensure key datasets – such as those tracking COVID-19 – can be publicly shared with an extra layer of security for sensitive personal information.
Developed as a collaboration between CSIRO’s Data61, the digital specialist arm of Australia’s national science agency, the NSW Government, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and several other groups, the privacy tool assesses the risks to an individual’s data within any dataset; allowing targeted and effective protection mechanisms to be put in place.
Traditionally, such assessments are undertaken by leading data and privacy experts who can now rely on computer models to validate this work.
Since 2020, CSIRO has explored ways of enhancing the tool in collaboration with the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC).
Using a sophisticated data analytics algorithm
Known as Personal Information Factor (PIF) tool, the software uses a sophisticated data analytics algorithm to identify the risks that sensitive, de-identified and personal information within a dataset can be re-identified and matched to its owner.
The early version of the tool is already being used by the NSW Government to analyse datasets tracking the spread of COVID-19 in the state since March 2020 and apply appropriate levels of protection before this data is released as open data.
“There’s no other piece of software like the PIF tool,” Dr Ian Oppermann, NSW Government’s Chief Data Scientist said. “It was developed through a long and very collaborative process involving many state, Commonwealth and industry colleagues.”
“Every day, it helps us analyse the security and privacy risks of releasi ..
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