Skip to main content

Protecting and Accessing Data from the Survey of Earned Doctorates A Workshop Summary (2010) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:

5 Ensuring Access and Confidentiality
Pages 34-43

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 34...
... Issues of confidentiality protection and data access, however, are ongoing and require continual review, as capabilities for both protection and intrusion in published tabulations are enhanced over time. This chapter summarizes information from the workshop on emerging models for ensuring access and confidentiality and developments in risk management that can help guide thinking about how to improve both access and protection in the future.
Read the entire page →
From page 35...
... , which permit onsite use of confidential files in a closely delimited area with specialized equipment and extreme security; systems of remote access over secure electronic lines to dedicated computers; fellowships and postdoctoral programs, in which researchers can be treated as agency employees, permitting a less restrictive form of access; and use of confidential data offsite but under highly restricted conditions, as spelled out in a legally binding agreement, such as a license. The emerging role of public query systems for accessing tabular and microdata was also discussed.
Read the entire page →
From page 36...
... Under licensing arrangements, researchers in institutions obtain access to restricted data by signing an agreement or license pertaining to the institution. Such agreements may be cumbersome: they require a demonstrated need for sensitive data; authorization for all users at the requesting institution; signature by a senior official and key staff; a data security plan; agreement by researchers not to identify individual research subjects or to link data received with other microdata files; and review of all statistical output
Read the entire page →
From page 37...
... The essential characteristics of these centers are that a research proposal must be submitted; a formal agreement covers the research and analysis to be done, the data to be used, and the types of output; data files must be stripped of personal identifiers; and data processing equipment must be dedicated to the restricted use. The data holder usually conducts a thorough disclosure review of the output, and all materials removed from the site are inspected.
Read the entire page →
From page 38...
... . To illustrate the state of the art in remote access and online query systems, Bournazian described the systems of three federal statistical agencies: 1.
Read the entire page →
From page 39...
... In the discussion period that followed Bournazian's presentation, Lynda Carlson, director of the NSF Science Resources Statistics Division, reported that NSF is now considering a data enclave arrangement for accessing SED and other science and engineering statistical series, as well as an online query system. The agency intends to test the NORC enclave and is considering an online query system developed by Space Time Research.
Read the entire page →
From page 40...
... identification disclosure, in which by matching a record in released data it is possible to learn that someone participated in the study, and (2) attribute disclosure, in which records could yield the value of a sensitive variable for an individual being targeted.
Read the entire page →
From page 41...
... . Reiter set up an example using notation in which z is released data on r records, and M is information about disclosure protection the agency has applied.
Read the entire page →
From page 42...
... Reiter suggested that statistical agencies could go through every record j in the database and compute the probabilities of redisclosure. Attribute disclosure risk measures address the question, "Given released data and information known by the public, how well can an intruder reproduce the original data?
Read the entire page →
From page 43...
... Initially suggested by Little (1993) , this method would create multiple, partially synthetic data sets for public release so that the released data would comprise a mix of observed and synthetic values and would look like the actual data (Reiter, 2005)
Read the entire page →

Key Terms

  • disclosure risk
  • remote access
  • ensuring access
  • tabular data
  • attribute disclosure

  • released data
  • data access
  • original data
  • earned doctorates
  • confidential data

  • disclosure limitation
  • federal statistical
  • key variables
  • statistical data
  • synthetic data

  • sed data
  • data enclave
  • identification disclosure
  • sed tabular
  • emerging models

  • restricted conditions
  • partially synthetic
  • national agricultural
  • risk associated
  • highly restricted

  • restricted microdata
  • emerging methods
  • microdata files
  • energy information
  • agricultural statistics


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
    More information on Chapter Skim is available.