Differential Privacy and Census Data: Implications for Social and Economic Research
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 109,
May 2019
(pp. 403-08)
Abstract
The Census Bureau has announced new methods for disclosure control in public use data products. The new approach, known as differential privacy, represents a radical departure from current practice. In its pure form, differential privacy techniques may make the release of useful microdata impossible and limit the utility of tabular small-area data. Adoption of differential privacy will have far-reaching consequences for research. It is likely that scientists, planners, and the public will lose the free access we have enjoyed for six decades to reliable public Census Bureau data describing US social and economic change.Citation
Ruggles, Steven, Catherine Fitch, Diana Magnuson, and Jonathan Schroeder. 2019. "Differential Privacy and Census Data: Implications for Social and Economic Research." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 109: 403-08. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20191107Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- C81 Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access