# Linked-identifier review exercise

Read the synthetic tokenised data, separate key and recipient context together. Then explain which links remain and what the task actually needs.

All people, roles and events are invented. No legal anonymity determination or re-identification of a real person has occurred.

Source: https://aona.ai/resources/guides/gdpr-anonymisation-pseudonymisation-ai/
Sources checked: 2026-09-21

## A name can move without the link disappearing

### Original

Mara Example + feedback

### Working file

P-01 + distinctive event context

### Separate key

P-01 → Mara Example

Note: All information is synthetic.

### Alternative

General themes without record-level links

| Representation | Synthetic content | Reasoning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Original | Mara Example and Elliot Example have invented feedback records. | Direct identity is present in the teaching data. |
| Tokenised working file | P-01 and P-02 replace the names. | The transformation removes visible names but retains stable links. |
| Separate linkage key | P-01 maps to Mara Example; P-02 to Elliot Example. | The holder of this key can attribute the records. |
| Context without the key | P-01 is described as the only facilitator at a specific invented event. | Distinctive contextual information may provide another identification route. |
| Reduced-detail alternative | General feedback themes with no token or unique event detail. | May meet the wording task; no real anonymity conclusion is established by this example. |
| Recipient assessment | Available information and realistic linking means must be assessed. | Do not assume every recipient can identify equally, or that none can identify without the key. |

## Review checklist

- [ ] Inventory the remaining links
  Include keys, stable identifiers, distinctive attributes and other accessible information.
- [ ] Assess the actual context
  Consider realistic means, time, cost and available technology for the relevant parties.
- [ ] Record the data-specific conclusion
  Keep the version, assumptions, recipients and legal reasoning separate from a tool’s transformation label.

## Included example files

- gdpr-linked-identifier-exercise.md
- gdpr-linked-identifier-exercise.csv
- synthetic-tokenised-feedback.csv
- synthetic-linkage-key.csv
- synthetic-recipient-context.txt

## Source references

- EU GDPR: identifiability and pseudonymisation: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj/eng (2026-09-21)

Use the worksheet within the relevant legal, contractual and technical scope. It is not a certification or a record of an installed-product test.