De-anonymization

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De-anonymization is a practice used to relate pieces of previously-anonymized user data in order to assemble a complete user profile.

How it works

The core of de-anonymization involves making inferences to connect different types of obfuscated data, sometimes even across platforms.

Why it is a problem

Many privacy policies describe the disclosure of anonymized data to third parties in an effort to limit unwarranted data collection. However, de-anonymization circumvents these privacy measures, allowing these third parties to engage in practices such as data sales or targeted advertising as normal.