Census Bureau's reply to Washington Times on data release [priv]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

---

Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 13:20:04 -0700
From: Douglas Sylvester <Douglas.Sylvester () asu edu>
Subject: Census Response Letter
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Thread-Topic: [Politech] Why not to answer census: Answers used against you
 [priv]

Dear Declan:

If you are going to forward the article printed in the Washington Times, 
you should also forward the response letter sent by the Census Bureau. As 
always, we should keep in mind the difference between "personally 
identifiable" and statistically anonymous data.

Doug Sylvester

___________________________________

The Honorable Adam Putnam
Chairman, House Subcommittee on Technology,
  Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations,
   and the Census
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC  20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

An article appeared in the Washington Times on January 19, 2004,
incorrectly implying that confidential census data was used in a NASA
study to develop ways to profile airline passengers.  Nothing could be
further from the truth.  Census Bureau employees are explicitly
prohibited by Title 13 of the U.S. Code from revealing confidential
census information for any purpose.  Title 13 provides a fine of up to
$250,000 and up to five years imprisonment for Census Bureau employees
who violate this statute.  There are no exceptions; there are no
exemptions.

I personally want to assure you that the Census Bureau remains committed
to producing quality statistical data, while upholding its mandate to
safeguard privacy and protect confidentiality of all individuals who
share their information with us.

The 1990 census records reportedly used by NASA come from the Public Use
Microdata Sample (PUMS) file.  This information does not identify
individuals and is made public for the purpose of statistical modeling.
PUMS files do not contain names, addresses or other identifying
information.  PUMS microdata limit the detail and employ strict
confidentiality protection measures so that individuals are not
identified. Microdata are a resource for researchers to create
tabulations tailored to their particular questions.

The Census Bureau has produced PUMS data since 1960 in compliance with
Title 13, United States Code.  The Bureau has created the gold standard
of federal privacy programs grounded in federal statute that has been in
place since the 1950's.  Additionally, we continue to employ the latest
technology and techniques to bolster this protection.

The Census Bureau is committed to ensuring that public trust is priority
number one in our every activity as the leading source of quality
statistics describing America's people and our economy.

Sincerely,

Jefferson D. Taylor
Chief, Congressional Affairs Office

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