Privacy of Study Participants in Open-access Health and Demographic Surveillance System Data: Requirements Analysis for Data Anonymization

Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) sites follow whole populations over time and increasingly publish open-access data, which makes protecting participants especially challenging. This paper carries out a requirements analysis for anonymising such data, identifying the disclosure risks created by detailed longitudinal and geographic information and the constraints that open access imposes. It sets out what an anonymisation approach for HDSS data must achieve to keep participants safe while preserving research value. Published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, it informs responsible data sharing in global-health research, particularly in low- and middle-income settings.