k-anonymity

K-anonymity is a technique used to protect personal information in datasets. It ensures that any individual’s data cannot be distinguished from at least K-1 other individuals' data. For instance, if K is 5, then for every group of records, at least five people share the same identifiable attributes (like age, gender, or zip code). This way, even if someone tries to identify an individual’s sensitive information, they would find it difficult because multiple people share similar characteristics, enhancing privacy and reducing the risk of re-identification.