The Dissemination of Data Among the Agencies and the Statistical Offices and Data Access for Research Purposes. The Rules Established by the Last Code of Ethics in Italy

• Activity Number: 172
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Government Statistics*
• Author(s): Luigi Biggeri*+
• Affiliation(s): Universita' di Firenze
• Keywords: Data access ; Statistical Disclosure Control ; Safe Data ; Safe Settings ; Code of Ethics

Abstract

The evolving technology and the growing request and availability of great mass of statistical information and elementary data is changing, provoking a corresponding evolution in the necessary procedures to test the confidentiality of data and in the dissemination regime implemented by NSI's. This is in particular true when the NSI's have to face the demand of the elementary data by other statistical offices and agencies and by the research world.

In this context the paper, first of all, tries to discuss the problems and the new challenges for the protection of privacy and confidentiality showing the possible methodological and organisational solutions (safe data vs. safe settings), and, secondly, focuses on the need for the development of sound juridical basis and regulations in order to have an efficient protection of personal data. The juridical and ethical issues will be discussed presenting the solutions adopted in Italy to cope with the issues both through a specific decret law on the protection of privacy for statistics and research and a code of deontology for the collection, elaboration, and dissemination of statistical data, in the Italian National Statistical System.