Ethics and Efficacy in Releasing Official Statistics to the Public and to Data Users

• Activity Number: 337
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Cmte on Professional Ethics
• Author(s): Nancy Gordon*+
• Affiliation(s): U.S. Census Bureau
• Keywords: Census Bureau ; Confidentiality ; Disclosure ; Ethics

Abstract

The Census Bureau's mission is to be the preeminent collector and provider of data about the people and economy of the United States. By law, the Census Bureau may not publish the data of any particular establishment or individual such that they can be identified. This "zero tolerance" is backed up by criminal penalties and a strong culture of ethical professionalism. The Census Bureau tries to publish the most accurate, analytically useful information possible to the widest audience. The inherent legal and ethical tension between maintaining confidentiality and disseminating high quality information is complicated by rapid innovations in technology and the emergence of sophisticated data miners. The Census Bureau is constantly working on internal policies--systems and procedures including such matters as how much the application of disclosure prevention measures should, from an ethical point of view, be revealed in data documentation. Also, it is constantly examining the ethics and practicality of various means to enhance the utility of files to government and non-profit researchers (e.g., hosting visiting fellows and providing access through Research Data Centers).