CONFIDENTIALITY-PRESERVING MODES OF ACCESS TO FILES AND TO INTERFILE EXCHANGE FOR USEFUL STATISTICAL ANALYSIS (FROM EVALUATION STUDIES REVIEW ANNUAL, V 2, 1977, BY MARCIA GUTTENTAG AND SHALOM SAAR - SEE NCJ 47177)

• NCJ Number: 47186
• Author(s): D T CAMPBELL; R F BORUCH; R D SCHWARTZ; J STEINBERG
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 31 pages
• Grant Number(s): GSOC-7103704; NIE-C-74-0115
• Sponsoring Agency: Russell Sage Foundation; National Science Foundation; US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REPRINTED FROM EVALUATION QUARTERLY, V 1, N 2 (1977), P 269-300 APPENDIX A OF THE 1975 FINAL REORT OF THE NAS-NRC COMMITTEE ON FEDERAL AGENCY EVALUATION RESEARCH PROTECTING INDIVIDUAL PRIVACY IN EVALUATION RESEARCH

Annotation

PROCEDURES FOR SAFEGUARDING THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF DATA DURING STATISTICAL ANALYSIS BY OUTSIDERS AND IN INTERFILE LINKAGES ARE CONSIDERED.

Abstract

INTRAFILE ANALYSIS BY OUTSIDERS INVOLVES PROVIDING ACCESS TO A SINGLE DATA FILE FOR PURPOSES OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. IN SUCH SITUATIONS, DELETION OF DIRECT PERSONAL IDENTIFIERS (NAME, SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER) MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO PRESERVE CONFIDENTIALITY. RESTRICTIONS ON THE RELEASE OF DATA THAT ARE PUBLICLY LISTED ELSEWHERE OR 'ERROR INNOCULATION' OF PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE VARIABLES MAY BE REQUIRED. MICROAGGREGATED RELEASE (CREATING 'SYNTHETIC AVERAGE ACTUAL INDIVIDUALS) IS SAFE BUT RESULTS IN A LOSS OF STATISTICAL EFFICIENCY. IN-FILE CAPACITY TO RUN OUTSIDERS' ANALYSES, WITH RANDOMIZED ROUNDING OF FREQUENCY TALLIES (A PROCEDURE FOR COUNTERING ANONYMITY-BREAKING POSSIBILITIES), IS THE BEST MEANS OF ASSURING CONFIDENTIALITY. INTERFILE LINKAGE REFERS TO A SEARCH FOR STATISTICAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE DATA CONTAINED IN TWO CONFIDENTIAL FILES. INTERFILE LINKAGE HAS GREAT POTENTIAL VALUE FOR PROGRAM EVALUATION AND CAN BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT THE RELEASE OF INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIED DATA FROM EITHER FILE BY 'MUTUALLY INSULATED FILE LINKAGE' PROCEDURE FOR LINKING FILES WITHOUT MERGING THEM. LINK FILE BROKERAGE IS UNACCEPTABLE ON CONFIDENTIALITY GROUNDS, AND MICROAGGREGATION AND SYNTHETIC LINKING BY MATCHING ARE ACCEPTABLE ON STATISTICAL GROUNDS. FOR BOTH INTERFILE AND INTRAFILE DATA USE, IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO FUND INTERNAL STATISTICAL ANALYSIS CAPABILITIES IN IMPORTANT ADMINISTRATIVE ARCHIVES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (CENSUS BUREAU, SOCIAL SECURITY, INTERNAL REVENUE, CRIME, WELFARE) AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR (MEDICAL AND AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE). REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)