Anonymised Collection and Use of Mobility and Movement Data

Mobility data records how people, vehicles and goods move through traffic. This data is used by cities, local authorities, companies and mobility service providers to plan new cycle paths, identify overcrowded bus and rail routes, and set up additional bike-sharing stations in areas where they will ease traffic most effectively. However, processing this data is highly sensitive. If mobility data is not adequately anonymised, individuals can sometimes be re-identified. This poses a considerable risk to individuals' rights and freedoms, since knowledge of a person's regular movements can reveal information about their religion, workplace or state of health. For this reason, the processing of mobility data is subject to strict requirements under European data protection law. However, these requirements conflict with the potential that such data has for transport planning, innovation, research and data-driven value creation. However, it is often unclear whether a given anonymisation method actually meets the legal requirements. The question of which legal basis permits the anonymisation and sharing of such data, and when the individuals concerned must be informed about its later use, remains unresolved.

The joint research project Anonymised Collection and Use of Mobility and Movement Data for Innovative Mobility Services therefore combines technical and organisational concepts into a single procedure that allows mobility data to be collected, used, and shared securely without infringing the rights of those affected. The project relies on homomorphic encryption, which enables encrypted data to be processed without ever being decrypted. Consequently, individuals cannot be identified within the data, while the essential information about traffic patterns is retained. The aim is to keep the data usable for transport planning and research while minimising or eliminating the risks to the rights of those affected wherever possible.