anonymize

verb

anon·​y·​mize ə-ˈnä-nə-ˌmīz How to pronounce anonymize (audio)
variants also British anonymise
anonymized; anonymizing

transitive verb

: to remove identifying information from (something, such as computer data) so that the original source cannot be known : to make (something) anonymous
There's an incredible amount of data in your travel profile. So they improved security and created a sophisticated way to anonymize data.Dana Hawkins
anonymization noun
also British anonymisation
anonymizer noun
also British anonymiser

Examples of anonymize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There was no way to anonymize my identity in a data set like geolocation. Byron Tau, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2024 Second-party data—collected, anonymized and monetized by other organizations—can help fill out your customer picture. Jennifer Chase, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Does your company take steps to anonymize user data when it is used for its own purposes, shared with service providers, or shared with non-service provider third parties? Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 4 Dec. 2023 If so, please describe your company’s process for anonymizing user data, including any contractual restrictions on re-identification that your company imposes. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 4 Dec. 2023 In most cases, that real-time data will include proprietary data that must be protected, and customer data that must be anonymized. Chris Perry, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 The Bureau of Justice Statistics will produce an annual public report on the database, but the report will not include individual incident data and will be anonymized to protect the privacy of officers, officials said. arkansasonline.com, 19 Dec. 2023 Access data is deleted or anonymized after 90 days. Curbed, 11 Jan. 2024 The agency is years behind schedule on anonymizing and releasing adverse event reports for all medical devices. Daniel Chang, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anonymize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

anonym(ous) + -ize

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anonymize was in 1858

Dictionary Entries Near anonymize

Cite this Entry

“Anonymize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anonymize. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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