Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs)

The volume of data held by public authorities is growing in double-quick time. This presents opportunities: by using smart analyses and combining these data, public sector organisations stand to gain relevant insights to tackle complex societal challenges. However, these analyses need to meet strict requirements. After all, we are allowed to use sensitive data only subject to strict conditions.

Privacy-enhancing technologies ensure that personal data are handled with due care as part of data exchanges. PETs is a collective term for technologies which protect personal data during the processing, storage and exchange of data. PETs enable organisations to analyse, verify and match data sets without gaining access to the underlying data. This makes it easier for public sector organisations to combine data sets whilst complying with the law and maintaining the trust of citizens and supply chain partners.

RINIS acts as a central hub in this process: we ensure secure implementation, proper integration with existing data flows and we assist with the selection of the most suitable PET for the specific application. In doing so, we are making the use of privacy-enhancing technology within the public sector reliable and scalable.

Architecture

The application of privacy-enhancing technologies has significant implications for the way in which data are modelled, processed and shared. Technologies such as data minimisation, pseudonymisation and encryption affect multiple layers of the architecture and place high demands on security and interoperability.

As a trusted third party, RINIS offers a reliable platform on which various PET solutions are already available and operating within our own secure infrastructure. These solutions can largely be committed out-of-the-box, which stops organisations from having to invest in complex technology or new data models themselves.

Technology

Examples of PETs in use include Ma3tch and Multi-Party Computation (MPC). RINIS provides support at various levels: for example, advice on which application is best suited to the participant’s specific situation, or the provision of a platform that enables data sharing between supply chain partners.