Combinations of SDC methods for microdata protection

Abstract

A number of methods have been proposed in the literature for masking (protecting) microdata. Nearly all of these methods may be implemented with different degrees of intensity, by setting the value of an appropriate parameter. However, even parameter variation may not be sufficient to realize appropriate levels of disclosure risk and data utility. In this paper we propose a new approach to protection of numerical microdata: applying multiple stages of masking to the data in a way that increases utility but controls disclosure risk.