Anonymous
Peter
is there a word which means "to make something anonymous"?
Something like to "anonymize" (or "anonymise")?
For instance, if I have a text which includes people's names, and I
want to erase these, I want to say that "I am anonymising the text" and
"the text is now anonymised".
Thanks,
Peter
Leslie Danks
Donna Richoux
OneLook dictionaries site has a few listings, and I get over 180,000
hits on the web for <+anonymize>. The plus sign is needed to stop Google
from "fixing" the spelling to "anonymous."
A medical dictionary cites:
Anonymize: Or anonymise. To remove the name. To make
nameless. "Data for more than 60 variables were
extracted from anonymised records of 745 SIDS cases
and 2411 live controls." (The Lancet 2004; 363: 185)
I'm sure it's a recent coining, given the technical uses, and the lack
of appearance in mainstream dictionaries.
--
Best -- Donna Richoux
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
OED:
anonymized, ppl. a.
Chiefly Med.
Made anonymous, esp. by the removal of names or identifying particulars;
spec. designating a form of medical screening, performed chiefly for
statistical purposes, in which the identities of the subjects are unknown
to the investigators.
1972 A. MARRE First Rep. Parl. Commissioner for Admin. 3 in Parl. Papers
1972-73 XXVII. 1079, I now lay before Parliament..the full but anonymised
texts of..reports on individual cases.
....
Hence (as a back-formation) anonymize v. trans. (usu. in pass.).
--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)
Adam Funk
> is there a word which means "to make something anonymous"?
>
> Something like to "anonymize" (or "anonymise")?
Yes, that's the one.
> For instance, if I have a text which includes people's names, and I
> want to erase these, I want to say that "I am anonymising the text" and
> "the text is now anonymised".
This is a fairly standard term now in data processing [1] as well as
natural language processing and corpus linguistics (e.g., when
analysing a corpus of sensitive data such as medical records).
The OED cites "anonymized" (def. "Made anonymous, esp. by the removal
of names or identifying particulars ... chiefly for statistical
purposes...") back to 1972 and "anonymize" back to 1975. Some people
probably consider it an icky neologism, but it's very useful.
[1]
"Google to 'anonymize' user IPs after 9 months"
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/09/google_nine_months_data_anonymization/
--
The wonderful thing about standards is that there are so
many of them to choose from. [Grace Murray Hopper]
Evan Kirshenbaum
> On 2008-09-18, Peter wrote:
>
>> is there a word which means "to make something anonymous"?
>>
>> Something like to "anonymize" (or "anonymise")?
>
> Yes, that's the one.
>
>> For instance, if I have a text which includes people's names, and I
>> want to erase these, I want to say that "I am anonymising the text"
>> and "the text is now anonymised".
>
> This is a fairly standard term now in data processing [1] as well as
> natural language processing and corpus linguistics (e.g., when
> analysing a corpus of sensitive data such as medical records).
Anonymization as used is really "pseudonimization". Rather than
remove the names (and other identifying numbers), typically they are
replaced by identifiers that can't be traced back to them, e.g., by
giving each person a unique number ("patient 42") or a made-up name
("we'll call him 'Joe'"). This allows you to correlate several things
about the same person without being able to tell who they are.
Usually, there will be a record somewhere, not released with the
anonymized data, that maps the pseudonyms to to the real identities.
(In some cases, the pseudonyms may be based on an encryption of the
real identity, with the encryption key not released.)
> The OED cites "anonymized" (def. "Made anonymous, esp. by the
> removal of names or identifying particulars ... chiefly for
> statistical purposes...") back to 1972 and "anonymize" back to
> 1975. Some people probably consider it an icky neologism, but it's
> very useful.
But it appears to have been coined before:
From the sprightly detailing of a scandal "in the highest
circles," thinly anonymized by the use of initials ...
Alys Eyre Macklin (ed and trans.), _Twenty-Nine
Tales From the French_, 1922
The word has also been used in other senses, e.g.,
He _Introduced_ lovers, he did not _anonymize_ them. He not only
informed the dear and beautiful Kitty that _someone_ loved her,
but he showed _who_ was the lover, namely, Tom.
_Titan_, July-December, 1858
but in the sense of "actively remove identifying information" I only
see the one hit before the '70s.
--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
HP Laboratories |"Algebra? But that's far too
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |difficult for seven-year-olds!"
Palo Alto, CA 94304 |
|"Yes, but I didn't tell them that
kirsh...@hpl.hp.com |and so far they haven't found out,"
(650)857-7572 |said Susan.
Adam Funk
> Anonymization as used is really "pseudonimization". Rather than
> remove the names (and other identifying numbers), typically they are
> replaced by identifiers that can't be traced back to them, e.g., by
> giving each person a unique number ("patient 42") or a made-up name
> ("we'll call him 'Joe'"). This allows you to correlate several things
> about the same person without being able to tell who they are.
That would be a good distinction to make, especially since
pseudonymization produces more useful data (as you point out).
> Usually, there will be a record somewhere, not released with the
> anonymized data, that maps the pseudonyms to to the real identities.
> (In some cases, the pseudonyms may be based on an encryption of the
> real identity, with the encryption key not released.)
Even that doesn't always work. (The people identified from the dumped
AOL search engine logs weren't too happy.)
>> The OED cites "anonymized" (def. "Made anonymous, esp. by the
>> removal of names or identifying particulars ... chiefly for
>> statistical purposes...") back to 1972 and "anonymize" back to
>> 1975. Some people probably consider it an icky neologism, but it's
>> very useful.
>
> But it appears to have been coined before:
>
> From the sprightly detailing of a scandal "in the highest
> circles," thinly anonymized by the use of initials ...
>
> Alys Eyre Macklin (ed and trans.), _Twenty-Nine
> Tales From the French_, 1922
Interesting --- maybe you should send that in to them?
http://dictionary.oed.com/readers/research.html
--
History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of
urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure.
(Thurgood Marshall)
Evan Kirshenbaum
I did that a few times, but it's a pain to work up the precise
citations, and we antedate them so often--and at least one of their
editors, Jesse Sheidlower, used to regularly participate here, so they
should know that--that I'd hope that they'd have somebody whose job it
was to read the group and note such things and figure out the citation
in the form they want it (or get back to us for more info).
Hey, Jesse (if you're reading this): Would it help if we added an "OED
antedating" tag somewhere to make it easier for your people to find
relevant articles? I'd be happy to do so.
--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
HP Laboratories |This case--and I must be careful
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |not to fall into Spooner's trap
Palo Alto, CA 94304 |here--concerns a group of warring
|bankers.
kirsh...@hpl.hp.com
(650)857-7572
Adam Funk
>> Interesting --- maybe you should send that in to them?
>>
>> http://dictionary.oed.com/readers/research.html
>
> I did that a few times, but it's a pain to work up the precise
> citations, and we antedate them so often--and at least one of their
> editors, Jesse Sheidlower, used to regularly participate here, so they
> should know that--that I'd hope that they'd have somebody whose job it
> was to read the group and note such things and figure out the citation
> in the form they want it (or get back to us for more info).
Oops, I think we've had this conversation before. Sorry!
Jesse Sheidlower
Evan Kirshenbaum <kirsh...@hpl.hp.com> wrote:
>Adam Funk <a24...@ducksburg.com> writes:
>
>> On 2008-09-18, Evan Kirshenbaum wrote:
>>
>>>> The OED cites "anonymized" (def. "Made anonymous, esp. by the
>>>> removal of names or identifying particulars ... chiefly for
>>>> statistical purposes...") back to 1972 and "anonymize" back to
>>>> 1975. Some people probably consider it an icky neologism, but it's
>>>> very useful.
>>>
>>> But it appears to have been coined before:
>>>
>>> From the sprightly detailing of a scandal "in the highest
>>> circles," thinly anonymized by the use of initials ...
>>>
>>> Alys Eyre Macklin (ed and trans.), _Twenty-Nine
>>> Tales From the French_, 1922
>>
>> Interesting --- maybe you should send that in to them?
>>
>> http://dictionary.oed.com/readers/research.html
>
>I did that a few times, but it's a pain to work up the precise
>citations, and we antedate them so often--and at least one of their
>editors, Jesse Sheidlower, used to regularly participate here, so they
>should know that--that I'd hope that they'd have somebody whose job it
>was to read the group and note such things and figure out the citation
>in the form they want it (or get back to us for more info).
>
>Hey, Jesse (if you're reading this): Would it help if we added an "OED
>antedating" tag somewhere to make it easier for your people to find
>relevant articles? I'd be happy to do so.
Well, there are a few things that would help. As I think I've
said before, dropping my name is one solution, so that when I
ego-surf myself I'll find the discussion. But sending in the
example to the OED also works. Yes, we prefer the most precise
citation possible, but we'll take whatever we can get; if it's
a real find, we'll do the necessary research. A tag like "OED
antedating" would only be useful if it were applied extremely
regularly.
Jesse Sheidlower
OED
Evan Kirshenbaum
I'm happy to add a tag consistently. Or just an "Attn Jesse
Sheidlower" shout-out. (Although I can't guarantee to spell your last
name correctly every time.) I'm just loath to take the time to
compose a separate message to the OED every time just for this. Plus,
not infrequently, as the thread goes on, others find earlier
antedatings anyway.
As to precision, I typically give author, title, and year (month and
year (or month, day, and year) for perioldicals), only adding page
number for off-line sources. I assume you guys have access to all the
major on-line sources (Google Books, ProQuest, JStore, etc.), so if
you need page numbers and publisher info for on-line sources, you can
easily look them up.
--
Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
HP Laboratories |He who will not reason, is a bigot;
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |he who cannot is a fool; and he who
Palo Alto, CA 94304 |dares not is a slave.
| Sir William Drummond
kirsh...@hpl.hp.com
(650)857-7572
Skitt
[about OED antedating]
> As to precision, I typically give author, title, and year (month and
> year (or month, day, and year) for perioldicals),
What an appropriate term!
> only adding page number for off-line sources.
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
http://home.comcast.net/~skitt99/
Jesse Sheidlower
Evan Kirshenbaum <kirsh...@hpl.hp.com> wrote:
>jes...@panix.com (Jesse Sheidlower) writes:
>
>> In article <3ajwrx...@hpl.hp.com>,
>> Evan Kirshenbaum <kirsh...@hpl.hp.com> wrote:
>
>>>I did that a few times, but it's a pain to work up the precise
>>>citations, and we antedate them so often--and at least one of their
>>>editors, Jesse Sheidlower, used to regularly participate here, so
>>>they should know that--that I'd hope that they'd have somebody whose
>>>job it was to read the group and note such things and figure out the
>>>citation in the form they want it (or get back to us for more info).
>>>
>>>Hey, Jesse (if you're reading this): Would it help if we added an
>>>"OED antedating" tag somewhere to make it easier for your people to
>>>find relevant articles? I'd be happy to do so.
>>
>> Well, there are a few things that would help. As I think I've said
>> before, dropping my name is one solution, so that when I ego-surf
>> myself I'll find the discussion. But sending in the example to the
>> OED also works. Yes, we prefer the most precise citation possible,
>> but we'll take whatever we can get; if it's a real find, we'll do
>> the necessary research. A tag like "OED antedating" would only be
>> useful if it were applied extremely regularly.
>
>I'm happy to add a tag consistently. Or just an "Attn Jesse
>Sheidlower" shout-out. (Although I can't guarantee to spell your last
>name correctly every time.) I'm just loath to take the time to
>compose a separate message to the OED every time just for this.
"Just for this"? Antedatings are a pretty important thing! And
you can make it pretty straightforward, especially if you're
referencing something that appears in one of the major
databases.
> Plus,
>not infrequently, as the thread goes on, others find earlier
>antedatings anyway.
>
>As to precision, I typically give author, title, and year (month and
>year (or month, day, and year) for perioldicals), only adding page
>number for off-line sources. I assume you guys have access to all the
>major on-line sources (Google Books, ProQuest, JStore, etc.), so if
>you need page numbers and publisher info for on-line sources, you can
>easily look them up.
Yes.
We do usually check these and other sources on a regular
basis, by the way. In many cases, when people find antedatings
of unrevised entries (including Additions Series entries),
they are things that we'll be likely to find ourselves when we
get around to revising them. This is not to say that the
efforts you guys make are unappreciated--quite the
opposite--just that the fact that we don't have these
antedatings doesn't mean that we're stupid, just that we
haven't gotten there yet.
Jesse Sheidlower
OED
Richard Maurer
,,,,Hey, Jesse (if you're reading this): Would it help
if we added an "OED antedating" tag somewhere to make it
easier for your people to find relevant articles?
I'd be happy to do so.
Jesse Sheidlower wrote:
A tag like "OED antedating" would only be useful if it
were applied extremely regularly.
Evan Kirshenbaum wrote:
Plus, not infrequently, as the thread goes on, others
find earlier antedatings anyway.
Jesse Sheidlower, you commented upon other points, but
this seems like the most important point. You may get
one person, but probably not four, to fill out one of those
annoying web forms that for all we uninitiates know
may ask for a mother's maiden name and email address
and places of residence for the last twenty years.
-- ---------------------------------------------
Richard Maurer To reply, remove half
Sunnyvale, California of a homonym of a synonym for also.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Skitt
> Evan Kirshenbaum wrote:
> ,,,,Hey, Jesse (if you're reading this): Would it help
> if we added an "OED antedating" tag somewhere to make it
> easier for your people to find relevant articles?
> I'd be happy to do so.
>
> Jesse Sheidlower wrote:
> A tag like "OED antedating" would only be useful if it
> were applied extremely regularly.
>
> Evan Kirshenbaum wrote:
> Plus, not infrequently, as the thread goes on, others
> find earlier antedatings anyway.
>
> Jesse Sheidlower, you commented upon other points, but
> this seems like the most important point. You may get
> one person, but probably not four, to fill out one of those
> annoying web forms that for all we uninitiates know
> may ask for a mother's maiden name and email address
> and places of residence for the last twenty years.
Yabbut, I have all of that and much more right here -- something I learned
to keep handy for the security clearance questionnaires for my job, when I
was still working. Now no one wants to know ...
--
Skitt, drawing from experiences in these places:
http://www.geocities.com/opus731/places.html
Mark Brader
> I'm happy to add a tag consistently. Or just an "Attn Jesse
> Sheidlower" shout-out. (Although I can't guarantee to spell your last
> name correctly every time.)
In that case, would it help to put a "fuck" in there somewhere? :-)
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "Common sense isn't any more common on Usenet
m...@vex.net | than it is anywhere else." --Henry Spencer
Jesse Sheidlower
Richard Maurer <rcpb1_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Evan Kirshenbaum wrote:
> ,,,,Hey, Jesse (if you're reading this): Would it help
> if we added an "OED antedating" tag somewhere to make it
> easier for your people to find relevant articles?
> I'd be happy to do so.
>
>Jesse Sheidlower wrote:
> A tag like "OED antedating" would only be useful if it
> were applied extremely regularly.
>
>Evan Kirshenbaum wrote:
> Plus, not infrequently, as the thread goes on, others
> find earlier antedatings anyway.
>
>
>Jesse Sheidlower, you commented upon other points, but
>this seems like the most important point. You may get
>one person, but probably not four, to fill out one of those
>annoying web forms that for all we uninitiates know
>may ask for a mother's maiden name and email address
>and places of residence for the last twenty years.
One could also send e-mail to oe...@oup.com; indeed, one could
just forward a newsgroup post to that address. I'd hope that
isn't too much effort for someone who's already done some
database searching and bothered to type up the results for
a.u.e.
Jesse Sheidlower
OED