Collaborative Research on a Panel Study of Confidentiality and Data Access

近几十年来，对公开收集的数据的使用已经扩大 大大 人口普查、抽样调查和 行政记录越来越多地被那些研究 就业、收入、教育、住房、犯罪、健康和其他 与国家政策有关的问题。 在相当大的程度上， 这些用途已经成为可能，并受到数据的鼓励 供应商-收集和传播信息的联邦机构 数据 扩大获取的关键是越来越多地 发布公用微数据文件的常见做法;即， 包含具有标识符的单个数据记录的文件， 姓名和地址已删除。 这些文件的可用性允许 研究人员设计统计分析，以适应他们的分析 利益和具体要求。 详细数量 然而，可以提供的信息有限， 数据提供者有义务保护 数据 然而，相当大的混乱和误解， 在讨论访问和保密性时经常出现， 发展不完善，而且往往是特殊的定义， 保密、匿名、隐私和知情同意--所有这些 这往往是混乱的。 国家统计研究院国家统计委员会 科学和社会科学研究理事会共同 召集专家小组研究这些问题并提供 向联邦机构提出一套建议，以便更好地处理 与数据访问和保密有关的问题。 目的 该小组的任务是向研究界和供应商提供建议， 关于如何通过适当的保障措施改善获取的数据， 保持机密性，不存在不当的不利风险 对公共合作的影响。 调查范围 主要集中在关于人的统计数据。 小组 还计划解决商业数据的保密问题， 机构和其他法律的实体， 对这些数据也提出了类似的问题。 特别讲习班 将召开关于披露限制技术的会议， 在更广泛的法律的、道德的和 科学政策问题。

In recent decades, uses of publicly collected data have expanded greatly. Data on individuals from censuses, sample surveys, and administrative records are used increasingly by those who study employment, income, education, housing, crime, health, and other issues relevant to national policy. To a considerable degree, these uses have been made possible and encouraged by the data providers--the federal agencies that collect and disseminate the data. Key to the expansion of access has been the increasingly common practice of issuing public-use microdata files; that is, files containing individual data records with identifiers such as name and address deleted. The availability of such files permits researchers to design statistical analyses to fit their analytic interests and specific requirements. The amount of detailed information that can be made available is, however, limited by the data providers' obligation to protect the confidentiality of data. Considerable confusion and misunderstanding, however, often arise in discussions of access and confidentiality because of poorly developed and often idiosyncratic definitions of confidentiality, anonymity, privacy, and informed consent--all of which tend to be confounded. The Committee on National Statistics of the National Academy of Sciences and the Social Science Research Council are jointly convening a panel of experts to study these issues and to provide a set of recommendations to federal agencies for better handling issues relating to data access and confidentiality. The purpose of the panel is to advise the research community and providers of data on how access may be improved with appropriate safeguards to preserve confidentiality and without undue risk of adverse effects on public cooperation. The scope of the investigation principally focuses on statistical data about people. The panel plans also to address confidentiality of data from business establishments and other legal entities, to the extent that similar questions are raised about such data. Special workshops will be convened on disclosure limitation techniques and informed consent within a broader consideration of legal, ethical, and science policy issues.