Privacy and Data-Based Research

Ori Heffetz and Katrina Ligett

No 19433, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: What can we, as users of microdata, formally guarantee to the individuals (or firms) in our dataset, regarding their privacy? We retell a few stories, well-known in data-privacy circles, of failed anonymization attempts in publicly released datasets. We then provide a mostly informal introduction to several ideas from the literature on differential privacy, an active literature in computer science that studies formal approaches to preserving the privacy of individuals in statistical databases. We apply some of its insights to situations routinely faced by applied economists, emphasizing big-data contexts.

JEL-codes: C49 C89 D89 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-09
Note: AG LS PE
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published as Ori Heffetz & Katrina Ligett, 2014. "Privacy and Data-Based Research," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(2), pages 75-98, Spring.

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Journal Article: Privacy and Data-Based Research (2014)
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