1. Purpose

The State of California and the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) diligently protect the privacy of Californians while also ensuring transparency in government and making data available for research that benefits Californians and advances research related to health and human services. Recent changes in California law around sensitive information underscore the state’s commitment to securing the private medical and personally identifiable information of Californians, so they can continue to be free from unnecessary intrusions into their private lives. CalHHS’s update to the Data De-Identification Guidelines furthers California’s commitment to protecting Californians’ privacy while balancing the needs of the research and policy communities. CalHHS remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting the privacy of Californians while continuing to encourage the free flow of information to enrich the health and well-being of all Californians.

The next two paragraphs vary by department. See individual department DDGs for more information.

The California Health and Human Services Agency Data De-Identification Guidelines (DDG) describes a procedure to be used by CalHHS departments to assess data for public release and protect the privacy of individuals represented in the data in accordance with applicable state and federal laws. As part of the document, specific actions that may be taken for each step in the procedure are described. For departments that are a covered entity or business associate under HIPAA, these steps are intended to assist departments in assuring that data is de-identified for purposes of public release that meet the requirements of the California Information Practices Act (IPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to prevent the disclosure of personal information. For departments that are not a covered entity or business associate, these steps are intended to assist departments in assuring that data is de-identified for purposes of public release that meets the requirements of the California Information Practices Act (IPA).

Additionally, the departments’ DDGs align with the CalHHS DDG which supports CalHHS governance goals to reduce inconsistency of practices across departments, align standards used across departments, facilitate the release of useful data to the public, promote transparency of state government, and support other CalHHS initiatives, such as the CalHHS Open Data Portal.