## 2 The TASIPPS Conceptual Framework
### The TASIPPS Framework Components
#### 2.1.3 The Privacy Module  
The privacy module within the framework is a critical component, designed to safeguard the confidentiality and individual rights of users regarding their personal information. This module addresses the ever-growing concerns surrounding data privacy, ensuring that the framework's operations adhere to stringent privacy regulations and the best practices laid out in the GDPR (UK/EU) and HIPAA (USA), which served as guidelines for this framework. By implementing robust privacy measures, the framework not only instills confidence in its users but also demonstrates a commitment to regulatory compliance, ethical data handling, and user-centric design. Figure 5 captures the sub-components of the privacy module within the framework. Figure 4 shows the six (6) components that make up the privacy module. Together, these components achieve privacy; they are discussed in detail below. Pseudonymization and Anonymization: Pseudonymization and anonymization are mandated by the GDPR Art 25 [44]. Pseudonymization is the process of identifying entities associated with privacy-sensitive data and replacing them with credible alternatives [45]. The incorporation of pseudonymization helps to improve the privacy of the health records [46]. In the works of [47; 48], pseudonymization was used effectively; the original texts were replaced with synonyms and some lexical substitutes in placeholders to conceal them. In their privacy-preserving framework, [49] proposed the use of pseudonymization to achieve maximum privacy. Anonymization, on the other hand, involves removing personal identifiers from data to preserve the identity of the person or entity that the data have been collected about. The work of [50] utilized a combination of pseudonymization and anonymization to serve as an additional protection for the EHRs that were collected in their work. This work proposes anonymization and pseudonymization at the database level to conceal any personally identifiable patient data. Data Access Controls: This encompasses the regulation and administration of data entry and access by employing specialized security mechanisms to guarantee the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data [51]. Data access controls are essential for maintaining data security and to ensure compliance with the data protection regulations enshrined in the GDPR (Art 5(f)) and HIPAA 45 CFR Part 164, Subpart C. This framework employs data access control mechanisms to ensure the privacy of patients' health records. This framework makes use of role-based access control, which grants access to data based on the role of the user. With this proposed framework, when a connected facility attempts to access a patient's medical history, a notification is sent to the patient prompting jim/her of the request. The steps that take place before patient authorization are explained as follows:  
* A notification is sent to the patient explaining the query. * The patient can review the query and either approve or deny the request. * Access is only granted if the patient explicitly approves the request. * If the patient does not approve the request, the system will log the denial and notify the requesting party that access has been denied. This is depicted in Figure 6.  
As depicted in Figure 6, the patient receives a notification indicating a request has been initiated to view their medical history. This notification will also indicate the name of the facility and will contain an option to grant or decline the request. Data Integrity: Data integrity within the proposed framework encompasses maintaining the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data across their entire lifecycle (GDPR Art 5). Data integrity ensures that information remains unaltered and dependable from its initial input through the storage, processing, and retrieval stages. In the context of this frame  
Figure 5: Sub-components of the privacy module of the TASIPPS framework.