Computer Science Division, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
Recent studies have demonstrated that statistical methods can be used to detect the presence of a single individual within a study group based on summary data reported from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We present an analytical and empirical study of the statistical power of such methods. We thereby aim to provide quantitative guidelines for researchers wishing to make a limited number of SNPs available publicly without compromising subjects' privacy.