Dear NBER Labor Studies Program Member,
The U.S. Census Bureau has recently made a proposal to add noise to
decennial census files, and requested comments on the proposal. The
proposal is described below, along with an explanation of how to comment.
The comment deadline is November 8.
If you are a user of Census data, you may want to learn more about the
proposal and consider providing feedback.
Warm wishes,
David
Ford Professor
MIT Economics
50 Memorial Drive, E52-438
Cambridge, MA 02142
617.258.7698 (o)
617.821.4200 (m)
http://web.mit.edu/dautor/www
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From: Steve Ruggles, IPUMS Director <ipums_at_umn.edu>
Date: Wed, Oct 31, 2018 at 5:17 PM
*IPUMS Census and Survey Data *
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Dear IPUMS User,
I am writing with an urgent request that you respond to Federal Register
Notice 83 FR 34111
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https://nhgis.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=775cbf39c77535e784cdfd6f9&id=c625b398c0&e=8b1668ec8f>,
regarding the use of Census Bureau data products. The comment period
expires in one week on *November 8, 2018*.
The Census Bureau is planning a fundamental revision of its procedures for
ensuring the confidentiality of public use data. The proposed new
disclosure avoidance system relies on injecting noise with formal privacy
rules, based on theories of differential privacy. It is not clear how this
new disclosure avoidance system will be implemented, but *there is
significant danger that it will reduce or even eliminate the usability of
public use data for many common research and policy applications.*
It is crucial that the research community responds to the call for comments
by explaining how we use the American Community Survey (ACS) and decennial
census data. Although the Federal Register Notice only addresses 2020
census products, the Census Bureau is planning to use similar techniques
for ACS, and it is vital that they take uses of the ACS microdata into
account. Complex applications that use data from multiple levels—such as
the characteristics of individuals, their family members, community
characteristics, and so on—may be especially relevant to the discussion.
The stakes are high. If we lose statistically valid public census data, it
will be an enormous setback to government transparency, social science, and
policy formation. I hope that comments from the community will persuade the
Census Bureau to proceed with caution and to engage in robust discussion
with the research community about the costs and benefits of new disclosure
avoidance methods.
*Please send at least a brief comment describing your work with microdata
or summary files from the ACS or the decennial census*. You may respond to
the Federal Register Notice by emailing POP.2020.DataProducts_at_census.gov,
referencing Federal Register Notice 83 FR 34111
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I would appreciate it if you copy us at ipums_at_umn.edu.
Thanks,
Steve Ruggles
IPUMS Director
IPUMS
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Received on Sun Nov 04 2018 - 13:27:08 EST
