Anonymized Data

Data that has undergone anonymization—the removal of identifiers in an irreversible way that prevents re-identification of individuals. Once properly anonymized, data no longer constitutes personal data and falls outside the scope of privacy regulations like GDPR. However, the term is often misused. Many datasets claimed as 'anonymized' are actually pseudonymized or deidentified, which still count as personal data. True anonymized data has no reasonable path to re-identification, even with external data or advanced techniques. For example, aggregated statistics showing that 65% of users prefer Feature A contain no personal data if calculated properly. But if those statistics could be broken down to reveal individual preferences, they're not truly anonymized. Claiming data is anonymized when it's not can lead to regulatory violations and loss of trust. Organizations should carefully assess and document their anonymization processes.