Mobile phone data for public health: towards data-sharing solutions that protect individual privacy and national security

TL;DR

This paper discusses a conservative data-sharing approach for mobile phone data that balances public health benefits with individual privacy and national security concerns.

Contribution

It introduces a highly conservative model for sharing de-identified mobile data that prevents individual identification while supporting infectious disease research.

Findings

Proposed a privacy-preserving data-sharing framework

Ensured de-identified data prevents individual re-identification

Facilitated collaboration between operators, researchers, and public health

Abstract

We outline the constraints faced by operators when deciding to share de-identified data with researchers or policy makers. We describe a conservative approach that we have taken to harness the value of CDRs for infectious disease epidemiology while ensuring that identification of individuals is impossible. We believe this approach serves as a useful and highly conservative model for productive partnerships between mobile operators, researchers, and public health practitioners.