On the disclosure risk of multivariate microaggregation

The aim of data protection methods is to protect a microdata file both minimizing the disclosure risk and preserving the data utility. Microaggregation is one of the most popular such methods among statistical agencies. Record linkage is the standard mechanism used to measure the disclosure risk of a microdata protection method. However, only standard, and quite generic, record linkage methods are usually considered, whereas more specific record linkage techniques can be more appropriate to evaluate the disclosure risk of some protection methods. In this paper we present a new record linkage technique, specific for microaggregation, which obtains more correct links than standard techniques. We have tested the new technique with MDAV microaggregation and two other microaggregation methods, based on projections, that we propose here for the first time. The direct consequence is that these microaggregation methods have a higher disclosure risk than believed up to now. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Partial support by the Spanish MEC (projects ARES – CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010 CSD2007-00004 – and eAEGIS – TSI2007-65406-C03-02) and by the Government of Catalonia (Grant 2005-SGR-00093) is acknowledged. Jordi Nin wants to thank the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) for his I3P grant.Peer Reviewe