▁retrieve ▁customers ' ▁data ▁from ▁its ▁database ▁and ▁do ▁analysis ▁on ▁them . ▁The ▁personal ▁data ▁information ▁including ▁personal ▁ident ifiers ▁were ▁collected ▁directly ▁when ▁customers ▁created ▁their ▁accounts . ▁The ▁website ▁needs ▁to ▁pre - handle ▁the ▁data ▁by ▁de - ident ification ▁techniques ▁before ▁analyz ing ▁data ▁records ▁to ▁avoid ▁viol ating ▁customers ' ▁priv acy . ▁ ▁An onym ization ▁An onym ization ▁refers ▁to ▁irre vers ibly ▁sever ing ▁a ▁data ▁set ▁from ▁the ▁identity ▁of ▁the ▁data ▁contrib utor ▁in ▁a ▁study ▁to ▁prevent ▁any ▁future ▁re - ident ification , ▁even ▁by ▁the ▁study ▁organiz ers ▁under ▁any ▁condition . ▁De - ident ification ▁is ▁also ▁a ▁sever ing ▁of ▁a ▁data ▁set ▁from ▁the ▁identity ▁of ▁the ▁data ▁contrib utor , ▁but ▁may ▁include ▁pres erving ▁ident ifying ▁information ▁which ▁can ▁only ▁be ▁re - link ed ▁by ▁a ▁trust ed ▁party ▁in ▁certain ▁situations . ▁There ▁is ▁a ▁debate ▁in ▁the ▁technology ▁community ▁of ▁whether ▁data ▁that ▁can ▁be ▁re - link ed , ▁even ▁by ▁a ▁trust ed ▁party , ▁should ▁ever ▁be ▁considered ▁de - ident ified . ▁ ▁Te chni ques ▁ ▁Common ▁strateg ies ▁of ▁de - ident ification ▁are ▁mask ing ▁personal ▁ident ifiers ▁and ▁general izing ▁quasi - ident ifiers . ▁Pseud onym ization ▁is ▁the ▁main ▁technique ▁used ▁to ▁mask ▁personal ▁ident ifiers ▁from ▁data ▁records ▁and ▁k - an onym ization ▁is ▁usually ▁adopted ▁for ▁general izing ▁quasi - ident ifiers . ▁ ▁Pseud onym ization ▁