Emerging technologies
PETs are tools that minimise the use of personal data, maximise security, and reduce the risk associated with their use. Examples are anonymisation techniques or technologies that allow data to be analysed without necessarily having to be copied.
In this respect, the work of the G7 has just concluded a case study on the analysis of the use of health-related data and on the in-depth study of the issues surrounding so-called ‘synthetic data’ – data obtained by using specific machine learning algorithms from real data of a sample of individuals – which can also be used for training machine learning algorithms without using real people’s personal data.
The case study analysed, therefore, starting from a database of prescriptions for real medical services, created a database of synthetic data that could no longer be traced back to real data. The new database then allowed this data to be shared and used for planning and allocating health system resources without compromising patient confidentiality.
Still in the area of PET, the G7 Privacy will strive to create a common ‘knowledge base’ about the terminology used (e.g. on ‘de-identification’, ‘anonymisation’, ‘pseudonymisation’) that, without containing legal elements specific to different legislations, can be used by all G7 members.