In the coming years, analytics will offer an enormous opportunity to generate economic and social value from data. But much of the success of data analytics will depend on the ability to ensure that individuals’ privacy is respected. One of the most effective ways in which to do this is through strong “de-identification” of the data — in essence, storing and sharing the data without revealing the identity of the individuals involved. A number of researchers have been investigating techniques to re-identify deidentified datasets. Unfortunately, some commentators have misconstrued their findings to suggest that de-identification is ineffective. Contrary to what misleading headlines and pronouncements in the media almost regularly suggest, datasets containing personal information may be de-identified in a manner that minimizes the risk of re-identification, often while maintaining a high level of data quality…