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Re: Debian Developer Survey (short, anonymous)



On Thu, 30 May 2002, Matt McClanahan wrote:

>                                                                The
> survey is anonymous,
            ^^^^^^^^^
> 
> The questions:
>  * Age
>  * Education level
>  * Number of source packages maintained             [1]
>  * Number of binary packages maintained             [2]
>  * Debian user since <date>
>  * Debian developer since <date>                    [3]

I would guess 1, 2 and 3 together makes it _VERY_ easy to deanonymize
that survey.

At my school with some 800 pupils we once made a 'so called anonymous'
survey asking amoung other things for this years grade in math and
german tests, the zodiac sign and some random handle they want to be
identified with.

We then used this information together with a list of pupils, their date
or birth, and this years grade in math and german (name blanked out
beforehand). It was _very_ easy to find those who lied at the survey and
published a list of handles.

So much for anonymous surveys - It's much easier with that one since all
the information needed to deanonymize it is publically available.


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