System and method for obfuscating an identifier to protect the identifier from impermissible appropriation

A method of operating a database system to protect personal identifiers from being revealed, comprising:

• for storing a record in a database of the database system:
• obfuscating a personal identifier using a secret value;
• storing in a database records containing the obfuscated personal identifier;
• storing the secret value in an identifier translation device;
• for retrieving a requested record from the database of the database system:
• operating a records requester to modify the personal identifier of the requested record into a modified personal identifier and transmitting the modified personal identifier to a request preparer;
• receiving at a request preparer the record request identifying the requested record using the modified personal identifier;
• and
• operating the request preparer to direct the identifier translation device to translate the modified personal identifier into an obfuscated personal identifier corresponding to the obfuscated personal identifier used to store the record in the database of the database system using the secret value stored in the identifier translation device and using the obfuscated personal identifier in a query to the database.