The probability of identification: Applying ideas from forensic statistics to disclosure risk assessment

Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A: Statistics in Society

Volumn 170, Issue 1, 2007, Pages 195-212

  Skinner, C J ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Confidentiality; Disclosure control; Microdata; Record linkage; Uniqueness

Indexed keywords

EID: 33845765765     PISSN: 09641998     EISSN: 1467985X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-985X.2006.00457.x     Document Type: Article

References (29)

1. Agresti, A. (2002) Categorical Data Analysis, 2nd edn. New York: Wiley.
2. Balding, D. J. (2002) The DNA database search controversy. Biometrics, 58, 241-244.
3. Balding, D. J. and Donnelly, P. (1995) Inference in forensic identification (with discussion). J. R. Statist. Soc. A, 158, 21-53.
4. Berger, J. O. and Wolpert, R. L. (1984) The Likelihood Principle. Hayward: Institute of Mathematical Statistics.
5. Bethlehem, J. G., Keller, W. J. and Pannekoek, J. (1990) Disclosure control of microdata. J. Am. Statist. Ass., 85, 38-45.
6. Chen, G. and Keller-McNulty, S. (1998) Estimation of identification disclosure risk in microdata. J. Off, Statist., 14, 79-95.
7. Copas, J. B. and Hilton, F. J. (1990) Record linkage: statistical models for matching computer records (with discussion). J. R. Statist. Soc. A, 153, 287-320.
8. Dale, A. and Elliot, M. (2001) Proposals for 2001 samples of anonymized records: an assessment of disclosure risk. J. R. Statist. Soc. A, 164, 427-447.
9. Dawid, A. P. (1994) The island problem: coherent use of identification evidence. In Aspects of Uncertainty: a Tribute to D. V. Lindley (eds P. R. Freeman and A. F. M. Smith), pp. 159-170. Chichester: Wiley.
10. Dawid, A. P. (2001) Comment on Stockmarr (1999) and author's reply. Biometrics, 57, 976-980.
11. Doyle, P., Lane, J. I., Theeuwes, J. M. and Zayatz, L. V. (eds) (2001) Confidentiality, Disclosure and Data Access: Theory and Practical Applications for Statistical Agencies. Amsterdam: North-Holland.
12. Duncan, G. and Lambert, D. (1989) The risk of disclosure for microdata. J. Bus. Econ. Statist., 1, 207-217.
13. Elamir, E. A. H. and Skinner, C. (2006) Record level measures of disclosure risk for survey microdata. J. Off. Statist., to be published.
14. Fellegi, I. P. and Sunter, A. B. (1969) A theory for record linkage. J. Am. Statist. Ass., 64, 1183-1210
15. Fuller, W. A. (1993) Masking procedures for microdata disclosure limitation. J. Off. Statist., 9, 383-406.
16. Kingston, C. R. (1965) Applications of probability theory in criminalistics. J. Am. Statist. Ass., 60, 70-80.
17. Lambert, D. (1993) Measures of disclosure risk and harm. J. Off. Statist., 9, 313-331.
18. Lenth, R. V. (1986) On identification by probability. J. Forens. Sci. Soc., 26, 197-213.
19. Lindley, D. V. (1977) A problem in forensic science. Biometrika, 64, 207-213.
20. Marsh, C., Skinner, C., Arber, S., Penhale, B., Openshaw, S., Hobcraft, J., Lievesley, D. and Walford, N. (1991) The case for samples of anonymized records from the 1991 census. J. R. Statist. Soc. A, 154, 305-340.
21. McCullagh, P. and Nelder, J. A. (1989) Generalized Linear Models, 2nd edn. London: Chapman and Hall.
22. National Statistics (2004) Code of Practice: Protocol on Data Access and Confidentiality. Norwich: Stationery Office.
23. Paass, G. (1988) Disclosure risk and disclosure avoidance for microdata. J. Bus. Econ. Statist., 6, 487-500.
24. Reiter, J. P. (2005) Estimating risks of identification disclosure in microdata. J. Am. Statist. Ass., 100, 1103-1112.
25. Skinner, C. J. and Elliot, M. J. (2002) A measure of disclosure risk for microdata. J. R. Statist. Soc. B, 64, 855-867.
26. Skinner, C. J. and Holmes, D. J. (1998) Estimating the re-identification risk per record in microdata. J. Off. Statist., 14, 361-372.
27. Skinner, C. and Shlomo, N. (2005) Assessing disclosure risk in microdata using record level measures. Worksession Statistical Data Confidentiality. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Geneva. (Available from www.unece.org/stats/documents/2005.11.confidentiality.htm.)
28. Stockmarr, A. (1999) Likelihood ratios for evaluating DNA evidence when the suspect is found through a database search. Biometrics, 55, 671-677.
29. Willenborg, L. and de Waal, T. (2001) Elements of Statistical Disclosure Control. New York: Springer.