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EviDataTM, powered by Woodway Assurance, automates independent third-party assessment of de-identified, anonymized and synthetic datasets. It verifies that data meet recognized privacy standards while preserving data utility and guides further privacy-preserving transformations where needed.
Built for organizations worldwide that use, supply or de-identify data for AI and other data-driven work, EviData assesses structured data and text and produces an objective, auditable report on the extent of re-identification risk. It provides credible evidence that data is safe to use and share, making approvals clear, documented and defensible.
The Value of EviData
Accountability through independent assurance
EviData is the independent check for de-identified, anonymized and synthesize data. It documents a transparent, auditable path from assessment to approval, turning a default "no" into a managed "yes" aligned with recognized standards and guidance, including from Canadian regulators and ISO. The report offers defensible, trustworthy evidence of due diligence for oversight, partners or regulators, including in the event of a data breach.
Fast, automated and reliable
Re-identification risk assessments have traditionally required significant expertise, training and time, and manual approaches introduced the risk of human error. EviData uses AI to fully automate re-identification risk assessment, turning a highly complex task into a simpler user experience. The EviAgent AI companion provides on-demand insight, explanations and guidance when further data transformations are needed. Work that once took external consultants weeks can be completed with precision in minutes, helping projects to accelerate without sacrificing rigour.
Confidence to use and share data
When technical claims are hard to verify, decisions stall and valuable data remains unused. Compliance and legal teams often lack the technical expertise to verify claims about de-identified, anonymized or synthetic data. EviData shows whether widely-recognized thresholds and conditions for safe use are met, so AI and data teams can confidently move forward with innovation, analysis and collaboration without compromising privacy or data utility.
How EviData Works
Built in Canada, Woodway Assurance’s EviData solution reflects the country’s leadership in AI and privacy. Our approach is grounded in decades of research and of applying and assessing data anonymization, synthetic data generation, data protection methods in practice.
Available by subscription, EviData runs entirely within the client’s environment. Clients upload their de-identified, anonymized or synthetic, and EviData conducts a fully automated, AI-enabled assessment of re-identification risk.
It takes just 4 simple steps:
UPLOAD
DATA
AUTOMATED ASSESSMENT
AI-GUIDED RISK REDUCTION
DOWNLOAD
REPORT
The result is a clear, standards-aligned and auditable report on whether the dataset is safe to share, meets key thresholds and can be treated as non-personal information.
With EviAgent™, the process is even simpler. Users can ask EviData’s build-in AI companion to explain the report, including how privacy risk was assessed and what drove the result, and to provide additional guidance. When further action is needed, EviAgent functions like an experienced anonymization expert, planning and performing full privacy-preserving data transformations to reduce risk to an acceptable level so data can be used and shared.
This moves decisions from a default "no" to a managed "yes" with clear thresholds, documented controls and an audit trail your privacy team can approve and your data team can act on.
EviData is engineered for enterprise use: scalable to large datasets, consistent across projects and secure by design. Every assessment applies the same level of discipline and consistency you would expect from academic research, adapted for today’s real-world enterprise needs.
Woodway Assurance is a spin-off from the Electronic Health Information Laboratory (EHIL) at the CHEO Research Institute. EviData builds on more than 20 years of pioneering research and privacy-enhancing technologies developed by Woodway founder and CEO Dr. Khaled El Emam and the EHIL team. In 2026, EHIL received the Privacy and Human Rights Award from the Global Privacy Assembly and the human rights organization Access Now.
Featured Clients:
Meet Our Team
Dr. Khaled El Emam
CEO & Founder
Khaled is Canada’s Research Chair in Medical AI at the University of Ottawa and leads the university’s new medical AI institute. He is a Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health and Director of the privacy award-winning Electronic Health Information Laboratory at the CHEO Research Institute, from which Woodway was spun off. An internationally recognized expert in anonymization, re-identification risk assessment and privacy-preserving data sharing who has founded or co-founded several spin-off companies, he has decades of experience conducting and applying rigorous research to practical solutions used globally.
Sheldon Stevens
Chief Financial Officer
Over the past 25 years, Sheldon has been the CFO for over 40 companies including DNA Genotek, Privacy Analytics, Replica Analytics, bluArc Communications, Embotics Corporation, Decisive Technologies Inc. and Britesky Technologies Inc. He has repeatedly worked with founders to help grow their ideas into companies and on to successful exits for all shareholders.
Lucy Mosquera
Chief Operating Officer
Lucy Mosquera is a technical leader specializing in building high performing teams to solve problems at the intersection of health care, data science, and privacy. She is passionate about developing scalable privacy solutions that are clear and easy to use. Lucy has in-depth expertise from deploying privacy solutions in industry, leadership roles at Datavant and Replica Analytics, and authoring more than a dozen peer reviewed publications and an O’Reilly textbook, as well as speaking internationally at conferences.
Mary Jane Dykeman
Chief Compliance Officer
Mary Jane is a data strategist with a health and data law background. She helps clients harness and execute opportunities for their data. She works on de-identification, shared data platforms, AI, privacy, and health research. Mary Jane is interested in crowdsourcing best practices for data and AI in regulated industries, including in health, financial, and insurance.
Dr. Lisa Pilgram
Chief Scientific Officer
Lisa is a researcher at the University of Ottawa and head of operations at the Ottawa Medical AI Research Institute. Her research focuses on privacy-enhancing technologies including anonymization, de-identification and synthetic data generation, all of which strengthens EviData’s capabilities. She has contributed to national and international research platforms enabling secure, privacy-preserving access to large-scale clinical datasets for research and public health response. With clinical training in Germany, she brings practical insight into health data, clinical workflows and regulatory environments.
Jay Swayze
VP Business Development
Jay is a two-time founder with over 25 years of experience helping organizations navigate the intersection of technology, finance and corporate growth. After building and leading bluArc Communications as CEO, Jay successfully orchestrated its sale to TELUS in 2019. Following the acquisition, Jay served as VP of Finance for GoCo, a TELUS company, where he lead finance, logistics and real estate. In 2023, Jay co-founded CompareABill.ai, a solution utilizing advanced AI models to identify and capture recurring cost-savings for enterprise-scale clients. At Woodway Assurance, Jay leverages this deep executive experience to help enterprises understand privacy compliance and implement effective risk mitigation strategies that protect their long-term interest.
Anne-Marie Hayden
Communications
Anne-Marie works at the intersection of data protection and communications. After 20 years with the federal privacy regulator, she now advises and supports technology companies, regulatory bodies and government agencies on effective communications and privacy compliance, so they can innovate responsibly. Her work combines a strategic approach to messaging, stakeholder relations and marketing with her deep knowledge of the issues surrounding data opportunities and risks, helping organizations communicate accurately, meaningfully and impactfully in a context that is increasingly complex, sensitive and constantly evolving.
Get a Demo
Today’s world runs on data. Are you confident your datasets can stand up to scrutiny?
EviData ensures your de-identified, anonymized or synthetic data meet privacy standards and preserve utility. Our solution delivers defensible third-party assessment of the extent of re-identification risk, and enables you to act with confidence in data use, sharing and innovation.