De-Identification vs. Anonymization in AI Tools

🧬 De-Identified ≠ Anonymous

Let’s clear this up ⬇️

🔹 De-identified data means you’ve stripped out all 18 HIPAA identifiers (names, dates, contact info, etc.).

✅ HIPAA allows this if done properly (Safe Harbor or Expert Determination).

🔹 Anonymized data is broader—and often not held to a legal standard.

❌ Many AI vendors say their tool "anonymizes data" but don’t meet HIPAA’s de-identification threshold.

Why it matters:

➡️ If you're feeding “anonymized” patient info into ChatGPT, and it hasn’t gone through a formal de-identification process, you may still be violating HIPAA.

💡 Always ask: Was this data de-identified by HIPAA standards—or just ‘blurred’ by tech marketing?