Microdata protection

The increased power and interconnectivity of computer systems available today provide the ability of storing and processing large amounts of data, resulting in networked information accessible from anywhere at any time. This information sharing and dissemination process is clearly selective. Indeed, if on the one hand there is a need to disseminate some data, there is on the other hand an equally strong need to protect those data that, for various reasons, should not be disclosed. Consider, for example, the case of a private organization making available various data regarding its business (products, sales, and so on), but at the same time wanting to protect more sensitive information, such as the identity of its customers or plans for future products. As another example, government agencies, when releasing historical data, may require a sanitization process to “blank out” information considered sensitive, either directly or because of the sensitive information it would allow the recipient to infer. Effective information sharing and dissemination can take place only if the data holder has some assurance that, while releasing information, disclosure of sensitive information is not a risk.