Dispute over eye scans: Who will clarify the anonymization of data?

Dispute over eye scans: Who will clarify the anonymization of data?

A legal dispute over the World identification project, which was co-founded by AI entrepreneur Sam Altman, could bring crucial clarity to how data anonymization is handled in the EU. The company relies on eye scans to enable secure Internet access by anonymizing data and distributing it across different providers. But Bavarian data protection advocates are skeptical and are calling for stricter measures, in particular the right to delete this data. According to experts, current anonymization is not enough, which raises the question of when data is truly anonymous and can no longer be traced back to individuals. World has already announced that it will appeal against these requests to define standards for data anonymization, as [zvw.de] reports.

Clarity through anonymization?

The GDPR protects personal data and has set clear rules for anonymization. It remains crucial to understand the difference between anonymized and anonymous data. The former refers to data that is originally personal, while anonymous data has no personal reference whatsoever. This distinction is of great importance for big data and AI applications, as even anonymized data can potentially be subject to personal reference, such as IP addresses. According to [dr-dsgvo.de], it is important that anonymization is ideally designed in such a way that attribution to individuals is excluded, although this can be challenging in practice.

In the context of the dispute, the ruling could have significant implications for the re-use of digital data, particularly with regard to legal bases and procedures. Clearly defining when data is considered anonymous could not only influence World's practices, but also set a precedent for the entire industry in handling personal information. The legal disputes are therefore likely to be important not only for the company, but also for the entire ICT industry.