Publication and removal of attributes in a multi-user computing system

A dimension authority device associated with a multi-user computing system, comprising:

• tracking logic to track a population count of users of the computing system who have published an attribute within the computing system;
• population change logic, operatively coupled with the tracking logic, to determine when the population count has decreased by a threshold amount;
• and
• notification logic, operatively coupled with the population change logic, to, in response to the determination that the population count has decreased by the threshold amount, provide data representative of the population count to the users of the computing system.

A method for monitoring an attribute published in a computing system, comprising:

• receiving a notification, from a dimension authority device, of a decrease in a population count of users of the computing system who have published an attribute within the computing system, wherein a user has published an attribute when the attribute is included in a set of public attributes associated with the user;
• determining whether the user has published the attribute;
• in response to receiving the notification of a decrease in the population count of users and the determination that the user has published the attribute, determining a value representative of a likelihood that continued publication of the attribute will enable identification of the user;
• comparing the value representative of the likelihood to a threshold;
• and
• when the value representative of the likelihood exceeds the threshold, removing the attribute from the set of public attributes.

A method for monitoring an attribute published in a computing system, comprising:

• tracking a population count of users of the computing system who have published an attribute within the computing system;
• determining when the population count has decreased by a threshold amount;
• and
• in response to the determination that the population count has decreased by the threshold amount, providing data representative of the population count to the users of the computing system.