Legacy Statistical Disclosure Limitation Techniques for Protecting 2020 Decennial US Census: Still a Viable Option

Journal of Official Statistics, Forthcoming

11 Pages Posted: 7 Jun 2023

See all articles by Krish Muralidhar

Krish Muralidhar

University of Oklahoma

Josep Domingo-Ferrer

Rovira i Virgili University; Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Date Written: June 7, 2023

Abstract

In our article “Database Reconstruction Is Not So Easy and Is Different from Reidentification”, we show that reconstruction can be averted by properly using traditional statistical disclosure control (SDC) techniques, also sometimes called legacy statistical disclosure limitation (SDL) techniques. Furthermore, we also point out that, even if reconstruction can be performed, it does not imply reidentification. Hence, the risk of reconstruction does not seem to warrant replacing traditional SDC techniques with differential privacy (DP) based protection. In “Legal Statistical Disclosure Limitation Techniques Were Not an Option for the 2020 US Census of Population and Housing”, by Simson Garfinkel, the author insists that the 2020 Census move to DP was justified. In our view, this latter paper contains some misconceptions that we identify and discuss in some detail below. Consequently, we stand by the arguments given in “Database Reconstruction Is Not So Easy…”.

Keywords: Database Privacy, Database Reconstruction, Statistical Disclosure Control, Differential Privacy

Suggested Citation

Muralidhar, Krish and Domingo-Ferrer, Josep, Legacy Statistical Disclosure Limitation Techniques for Protecting 2020 Decennial US Census: Still a Viable Option (June 7, 2023). Journal of Official Statistics, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4472525 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4472525

Krish Muralidhar (Contact Author)

University of Oklahoma ( email )

307 W Brooks
Norman, OK 73019
United States

Josep Domingo-Ferrer

Rovira i Virgili University ( email )

Campus Sescelades, Carretera de Valls s/n
43006 Tarragona, Tarragona 43007
Spain

Universitat Rovira i Virgili ( email )

Tarragona
Spain
43007 (Fax)

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