If you thought that, now that you have input your data to the 2020 census, we are through with it … well, you were mistaken. Although the Census greatly ramps up its hiring during years ending in zero, it actively functions all the time. not just with a skeleton crew, either, but with a whole lot of the best and brightest experts on data available. Because one of its missions is to make data – up to date and accurate data – available to anyone who needs it most. That’s how I was able to inform you all and the Furies that, within the United States, there exist over 90,000 separate governments. Not government agencies (which must far outnumber that figure) – but actual governments. As of 2017. Because the Census compiled that information and Professor Swindell researched and cited it. Professor Swindell first hand, and I (at this point second hand) are Census Data Products users.
Would you like to become a Census Data Products User? Well, that’s easy. You can sign up right here to receive the Census Data Products Newsletter (and also, if you like, their Operational Updates Newsletter), and they will send you all the scoop. Here’s a sample of the kind of information available.
I must note at this point that the Census Bureau has all kinds of data – and it is very concerned about differentiating public data from private data. Theft of personal data is a huge issue, and made even more critical by digitalization and hacking. But the Census Bureau is on it, and their Data newsletters will also contain up to the minute information on what they are doing to oppose it, including developing a Disclosure Avoidance System
Blessings upon them, they have made an introduction in comic strip form available to journalists under a Creative Commons license to freely republish. It is available as a PDF here, and you can print it, keep it, share it, whatever you like. I am reproducing it below under that license in three JPG files, one for each page of the PDF.
As you can see, the basis of their program is the concept of Differential Privacy. I suspect we will be hearing the word a lot. Of course at this point it is a work in progress, but progress is being made, as quickly and carefully as possible.
3 Responses to “2020 Census: Data and Differential Privacy”
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Thanks for a very interesting Census post, Joanne. It makes me wonder how the consensus operates here in Oz.
It would be very interesting to know how other handle it. Ours, of course, began in 1790 with the new Constitution and its fiat for representative government … there was no other way to establish how to make representation fair. I think the Bureau still tries to ensure that … but since redistricting isn’t up to the Bureau, we’ve gone far afield.
Very informational, and educational.
Thanks so much, Joanne for posting and getting the info out here.