Simulating identification by zip code, sex, and birthdate
1–10 of 39 posts
Re: Simulating identification by zip code, sex, and birthdate
#2I editorialized the title a bit - the author's title is "Simulating identification by zip code, sex and birthdate." Instead I've used the salient conclusion of the article, which is pretty interesting.
This article is a footnote to another front page submission by the same author, "No funding for uncomfortable results." While that article is sobering, I find this one to be technically cooler. The author uses a simple probabilistic calculation - alongside a Python simulation - to demonstrate how 87% of Americans are uniquely identifiable, given these three points of data.
Not a novel finding, but I like the way the author demonstrates the conclusion analytically and programmatically.
Re: Simulating identification by zip code, sex, and birthdate
#3surprised that gender is that useful for this
Re: Simulating identification by zip code, sex, and birthdate
#4I editorialized the title a bit - the author's title is "Simulating identification by zip code, sex and birthdate." Instead I've used the salient conclusion of the article, which is pretty interesting. This article is a footnote to another front page submission by the same author, "No funding for uncomfortable results." While that article is sobering, I find this one to be technically cooler. The author uses a simple…
I think that your alteration of the title is good, but why did you change "sex" to "gender"?! The study appears to be about sex as a matter of public record, so you've added inaccuracy, or at least ambiguity, to the title.
Re: Simulating identification by zip code, sex, and birthdate
#5surprised that gender is that useful for this
It's only one bit of data, but it's easily apparent if we get to ignore things like gender fluid or intersex. Sex can be inferred by appearance, name, clothing purchase, shopping history--so it's almost free data.
Although Google still thinks I'm the opposite gender, I guess I'm not heteronormative enough.
Re: Simulating identification by zip code, sex, and birthdate
#6The birthday adds simply too much information - which is why I mostly obfuscate my birthdate.
Re: Simulating identification by zip code, sex, and birthdate
#7surprised that gender is that useful for this
Presumably without gender, the number of unresolvable clashes would be a bit less than doubled (allowing for even rarer multiple clashes).
Re: Simulating identification by zip code, sex, and birthdate
#8Discussion of the previous post here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18637703.
Re: Simulating identification by zip code, sex, and birthdate
#9The birthday adds simply too much information - which is why I mostly obfuscate my birthdate.
Do you happen to be born on Jan. 1 a random number of years ago too?