Introducing the New 2020 Census Data Products Newsletter

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Introducing the 2020 Census Data Products Newsletter!

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The goal of this newsletter is to provide data users with information about the evolving development of the Disclosure Avoidance System (DAS), including differential privacy. Our aim is to send you updates on a regular basis, in short bites, and in as “real time” as possible. 

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Help Us Shape Future Content

Do you have specific questions or topics you would like us to cover? Email us at: 2020DAS@census.gov.

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Did You Know?

The first census tracts in 1910 were invented as a compromise after New York City statisticians requested tabulations for every block. The Census Bureau began enumerating large city blocks in 1930. It wasn’t until 1990 that the Census Bureau created blocks for the entire country.

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Future Newsletters Will Cover:

  • The Disclosure Avoidance System (DAS) development progress.  The DAS team is using an agile development approach, implementing and evaluating major improvements in a series of four-week sprints. We'll keep you informed of progress and how those changes impact data accuracy.
  • Updates on accuracy and “fitness for use” measurements for the 2020 Census data products. These measures provide a common baseline and ongoing metrics to help gauge progress. Feedback on these metrics is welcome.
  • Information about the 2020 DAS and differential privacy mechanics for both newcomers and veterans, such as: 
    • How does the 2020 DAS work?
    • What is a privacy-loss budget (PLB)?
    • How does the PLB impact the accuracy of specific statistics?
    • Why is re-identification more of a concern today than it was in 2010?

About Disclosure Avoidance Modernization

The Census Bureau is protecting 2020 Census data products with a powerful new cryptography-based disclosure avoidance system known as “differential privacy.”  We are committed to producing 2020 Census data products that are of the same high quality you've come to expect while protecting respondent confidentiality from emerging privacy threats in today’s digital world.