Disclosure risk and grid computing

Grid computing raises new issues in respect of the confidentiality of individual data. Different data sets are likely to have been collected under different terms of use and they are also likely to contain variables that have different levels of sensitivity and disclosure risk. Multiple dataset access and the increased computation power in grid environments also increases the potential for the identification of unique records. This paper provides a review of the key confidentiality issues raised by grid computing and reports the results of consultations with key stakeholders and the findings of exemplar disclosure risk experiments. Establishing effective disclosure control measures in grid environments is vital to ensuring the participation of data depositors in sharing both their data and computational resources.