Hashing

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) emphasizes that hashing does not render data anonymous, cautioning companies against misleading privacy claims. Hashing, which transforms data like email addresses into consistent numerical values, may obscure the original data but still allows user identification. The FTC has taken action against companies such as Nomi and BetterHelp for improperly using hashed data, demonstrating that hashed identifiers can still cause privacy harms. The calls for companies adhere to truthful privacy practices, highlighting recent cases where user tracking persisted through unique identifiers.