How Anonymous Is Your Personal Data?

Cool Science Radio welcomes science writer and Technology Editor for Scientific American,Sophie Bushwick. We speak with her about her recent article, "Anonymous" Data Won't Protect Your Identity. A new study demonstrates it is surprisingly easy to ID an individual within a supposedly incognito data set. Big data affects everyone who uses a credit card, visits a doctor who keeps electronic medical records, or touches social media. Your data is out there—and even if it’s not directly connected to your name and social security number, this study demonstrates that it could be.