Big Data and the Risk of Re-Identification
On 12 September 2016, researchers at the University of Melbourne alerted the Commonwealth Government that it was possible to re-identify ostensibly “de-identified” Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) data that had been released for public access and analysis. The MBS Re-identification Event attracted significant media attention, generated an Australian Office of the Information Commissioner (OAIC) investigation and resulted in the introduction of the Privacy Amendment (Re-identification Offence) Bill 2016 (Cth). The MBS Re-identification Event is a reminder of the importance of considering the privacy implications of big data analytics.
