Imputation for Disclosure Avoidance
Laura Zayatz
KEY WORDS: Confidentiality, Microdata, Tabular Data, Data Protection
ABSTRACT
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. The 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. This paper discusses the various types of data we releases, the
disclosure avoidance techniques currently being used, and how they may be seen as a form of
imputation.
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