Benchmarking Advanced Text Anonymisation Methods: A Comparative Study on Novel and Traditional Approaches

Abstract

In the realm of data privacy, the ability to effectively anonymise text is paramount. With the proliferation of deep learning and, in particular, transformer architectures, there is a burgeoning interest in leveraging these advanced models for text anonymisation tasks. This paper presents a comprehensive benchmarking study comparing the performance of transformer-based models and Large Language Models(LLM) against traditional architectures for text anonymisation. Utilising the CoNLL-2003 dataset, known for its robustness and diversity, we evaluate several models. Our results showcase the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, offering a clear perspective on the efficacy of modern versus traditional methods. Notably, while modern models exhibit advanced capabilities in capturing contextual nuances, certain traditional architectures still keep high performance. This work aims to guide researchers in selecting the most suitable model for their anonymisation needs, while also shedding light on potential paths for future advancements in the field.