Dataset anonymisation is the removal of personal identifiers from a remote-monitoring feed. Health readings are special-category data under UK GDPR Art. 9 and DPA 2018. anonym.plus runs offline and leaves the blood-pressure, glucose, and weight series intact for analysis.
When this applies
Home monitors stream readings tagged with the individual and the device serial. For population work or model training, those tags must come off.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Point anonym.plus at the export on your server.
- It scans identifier columns and any free-text notes.
- Hardware serials and patient keys both get flagged.
- Steady labels keep each person linked across rows.
- Review the summary, then save the clean set.
What you need to provide
- The export (CSV, JSON, or a record bundle).
- A column map for patient and device fields.
- Replace with a steady label map for joins.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | patient_name → [PATIENT_n] |
| Identifiers | ID | monitor serial 9F-2207 → [DEVICE] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | reading_ts → shifted [TIME] |
| Network | IP_ADDRESS | gateway IP → [IP] |
| Record IDs | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | NHS 512 999 0001 → [NHS_NUMBER] |
| Location | LOCATION | home postcode → [PLACE] |
Compliance achieved
- Strips UK GDPR Art. 9 & DPA 2018 special-category health data.
- Hardware serials and gateway IPs are caught as direct identifiers.
- Fully offline — no cloud exposure of home-monitoring streams.
Anonymise remote monitoring datasets offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
Hardware serials are unique identifiers and must go. But a rare reading pattern at a known site can still narrow identity after the obvious tags are gone. Shift the timestamps and apply the motivated-intruder test for small cohorts.
Frequently asked questions
Is a hardware serial really an identifier?
Yes. UK GDPR treats equipment identifiers as personal data when they map to one patient. A monitor serial is flagged and swapped.
Can rows stay linkable after the swap?
Yes. A steady label map gives each individual one alias, so their readings still join while no real identity remains.
Why work locally on these feeds?
Sending raw monitoring data to a cloud tool is a disclosure with breach risk. On-device work skips that step entirely.