Synonyms
Nymity
Definition
The term pseudonymous originates from the Greek word pseudonymos meaning “having a false name.”
A pseudonym is an identifier of a subject other than one of the subject’s real names, and pseudonymity is the use of pseudonyms as identifiers. Sender pseudonymity is defined as the sender being pseudonymous, recipient pseudonymity as the recipient being pseudonymous [1].
In the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) defines “pseudonymisation of data” as “the processing of personal data in such a manner that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organisational measures to ensure that the personal data are not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person” [2].
Key Points
Pseudonymity resembles anonymity as both concepts aim at protecting the real identity of a subject. The use...
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Recommended Reading
Pfitzmann A, Hansen M. A terminology for talking about privacy by data minimization: anonymity, unlinkability, unobservability, pseudonymity, and identity management. Version 0.34. http://dud.inf.tu-dresden.de/Anon_Terminology.shtml. 10 Aug 2010.
EU Commission. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). Off J Eur Union. L 119/1. 4 May 2016.
Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation. Version 3.1, revision 4 Sept 2012. Part 2: Functional security components. http://www.commoncriteriaportal.org.
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Fischer-Hübner, S. (2018). Pseudonymity. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_1490
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