As part of its commitment to honor privacy and protect the confidentiality of data it collects about the nation’s population and economy, the U.S. Census Bureau has named Gerald W. Gates as its first-ever chief privacy officer.

     Gates has played a major role in establishing the Census Bureau’s data stewardship program, which ensures that executive decisions reflect a thoughtful analysis of mission objectives in light of legal and ethical privacy obligations.

     Gates is an expert on privacy and confidentiality issues. His new role will complement the data stewardship program and communicate the program’s vision, principles and policies, thereby ensuring the continued protection of information provided by every person that participates in a census or survey.

     “The public places their trust in us to safeguard their information, and we take that responsibility seriously,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. “Our ability to meet the nation’s data needs depends on it. Jerry’s pioneering work in data stewardship makes him uniquely qualified to serve as the agency’s first chief privacy officer.”

     As chief privacy officer, Gates will work with privacy groups, professional associations, data user groups, congressional staffs, advisory committees and other interested parties to clarify and highlight privacy issues and concerns.

     “Privacy, confidentiality and the security of the information we collect from households and businesses across the nation are top priorities at the Census Bureau,” said Gates. “It is clear that privacy concerns will play an increasing role in the Census Bureau’s future, and I will do all in my power to further strengthen protections, educate our employees and assure the public that their information is confidential and used solely to produce high-quality statistics.”

     Gates has served at the Census Bureau for more than 33 years. He received a bachelor’s degree in business and statistics from the University of Colorado in 1970, and is the author of numerous papers on privacy research, perceptions of confidentiality and alternatives for providing access to statistical data. He has chaired an interagency team that proposed privacy principles and recommended governmental strategies for protecting privacy for the National Information Infrastructure. Gates also served for four years as the U.S. representative to the Council of Europe Working Party, which developed Recommendations on the Protection of Personal Data—Statistics.

     The Census Bureau also launched today new content on its Web site about the agency’s data stewardship program. The site emphasizes privacy and confidentiality protections in place at the Census Bureau. It also covers such topics as how to verify that a survey is legitimate. To access the new content, visit <http://www.census.gov> and click on the “data protection and privacy policy” link at the bottom of the page.

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