Pseudonymization on make => Impossible?

How To
12

Encryption and Pseudonymization are two different things and has different use-cases.

Encryption?

Encryption is like locking a box with a key. Only someone with the correct key (the encryption key) can unlock the box (decrypt the data) and see what’s inside.

  • Encryption is reversible provided you store the encryption key to use in a decryption process.

  • Encryption doesn’t allow you to view the rest of the file without decrypting it first.

Example: Encrypting a credit card number before storing it in a database prevents unauthorized access.

Pseudonymization?

Pseudonymization is like replacing names in a story with made-up names. You can still read the story without knowing the real names, but you can’t go back and change the made-up names to the real ones unless you keep a list of replacements.

  • Pseudonymization is not reversible, unless you store the position in the document and the original text that was replaced somewhere, so that you can replace it back later.

  • Pseudonymization, without encryption, allows you to view the rest of the file because it is still in the same format.

Example: Replacing patient names with numbers in a medical database to protect privacy while still being able to analyze the data.

You are confusing two different things and confusing us

You are confusing us because you are not clear on what you want, either or both, and how you want it implemented.

  • Encryption is often the primary choice for securing sensitive data

  • Pseudonymization can be a measure when you need to share the rest of the data while maintaining privacy. Pseudonymization is generally not reversible.

Hope this helps! Let me know if there are any further questions or issues.
Note: I see hundreds of posts, notifications, and messages daily on this forum, so if I missed your reply, please message me to look at your reply.

— @samliew

P.S.: Did you know, the concepts of about 70% of questions asked on this forum are already covered in the Make Academy. Investing some effort into it will save you lots of time and frustration using Make later!