[CTPP] Fwd: Census Bureau Data and Differential Privacy

I received this today from our friends at IPUMS. Apologies if you already received this. It deals with the Differential Privacy protection that we have been hearing about. Both IPUMS has a report on it (https://assets.ipums.org/_files/mpc/MPC-Working-Paper-2018-6.pdf) and the Census Bureau's Chief Scientist (https://arxiv.org/pdf/1808.06303.pdf). I pulled the links out for the articles below in case they do come through. As users of Census Data products, this is an issue and area that we all need to understand and be cognizant of. I happen to agree with our IPUMS friends that the procedures will have a large impact on public use data products and could limit the use of microdata, but that is my opinion. -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Census Bureau Data and Differential Privacy Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2018 15:04:25 +0000 From: IPUMS &lt;ipums(a)umn.edu&gt; Reply-To: IPUMS &lt;ipums(a)umn.edu&gt; To: edc(a)berwyned.com IPUMS Census and Survey Data *IPUMS Census and Survey Data * Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser <https://nhgis.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=775cbf39c77535e784cdfd6f9&id=b3e2ab89a2&e=36b61efbdf>. IPUMS Dear IPUMS User, The Census Bureau has announced new rules for disclosure control in public use data products, including both ACS microdata and small-area data from the 2020 census. The new policies will have a large impact on public use data products, and could severely limit the utility of microdata and small-area data. I fear that scientists, planners, and the public may lose the free access we have enjoyed to reliable public Census Bureau data describing American social and economic change. Although in the immediate future this will apply only to ACS and decennial census data, the Census Bureau plans to use the same approach for other data products. In the long run, the new rules could also lead to new restrictions on access to data from other agencies. We have prepared a new report <https://nhgis.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=775cbf39c77535e784cdfd6f9&id=ae2366c77b&e=36b61efbdf> on this issue, and I urge you to read it. You may also wish to read the Census Bureau Chief Scientist's perspective on this issue, in a forthcoming article <https://nhgis.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=775cbf39c77535e784cdfd6f9&id=388b0f23cc&e=36b61efbdf>. We are in conversations with the Census Bureau about their timeline for these changes and about their plans to engage the research community. We will keep the IPUMS community informed through our social media <https://nhgis.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=775cbf39c77535e784cdfd6f9&id=52f9f2a398&e=36b61efbdf> and a dedicated webpage <https://nhgis.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=775cbf39c77535e784cdfd6f9&id=70a0236a07&e=36b61efbdf>. We will continue to update you as we learn more. Thank you, Steve IPUMS <https://nhgis.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=775cbf39c77535e784cdfd6f9&id=f0ae00ea0d&e=36b61efbdf> | University of Minnesota <https://nhgis.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=775cbf39c77535e784cdfd6f9&id=29229f83af&e=36b61efbdf> /Copyright © 2018 University of Minnesota, All rights reserved./ *Our mailing address is:* IPUMS 225 19th Ave South Minneapolis, MN 55455