Disclosure avoidance practices and research at the U.S. Census Bureau: an update

The U.S. Census Bureau collects its survey and census data under Title 13 of the U.S. Code which promises confidentiality to its respondents. The agency also has the responsibility of releasing data for the purpose of statistical analysis. In common with most national statistical institutes, our goal is to release as much high quality data as possible without violating the pledge of confidentiality. We apply disclosure avoidance techniques prior to publicly releasing our data products to protect the confidentiality of our respondents and their data (Willenborg and de Waal 2001). This article discusses the various types of data we release, our disclosure review process, restricted access procedures, disclosure avoidance techniques currently being used, and current disclosure avoidance research.