When using anonymization techniques to prevent unauthorized access to personal data, which of the following is the MOST important consideration to ensure the data is adequately protected?

When using anonymization techniques to prevent unauthorized access to personal data, which of the following is the MOST important consideration to ensure the data is adequately protected?
A . The key must be kept separate and distinct from the data it protects.
B . The data must be protected by multi-factor authentication.
C . The key must be a combination of alpha and numeric characters.
D . The data must be stored in locations protected by data loss prevention (DLP) technology.

View Answer

Answer: A

Explanation:

Anonymization is a technique that removes or modifies personal data in such a way that it can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject. Anonymization can be achieved by various methods, such as encryption, pseudonymization, aggregation, generalization, etc. When using anonymization techniques to prevent unauthorized access to personal data, the most important consideration to ensure the data is adequately protected is that the key must be kept separate and distinct from the data it protects. The key is a piece of information that is used to reverse the anonymization process and restore the original personal data. The key must be stored and managed in a secure location that is different from where the anonymized data is stored and processed. This way, even if the anonymized data is compromised, the key cannot be accessed or used to re-identify the data subjects.

Reference: CDPSE Review Manual (Digital Version), page 29