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.
