US bans differential privacy in Census data

Article excerpt

The U.S. Census Bureau has effectively banned the use of differential privacy, a mathematical technique that adds noise to data to protect individual privacy, in its publicly released datasets. The move reverses a 2020 decision to employ differential privacy in the 2020 Census, a shift that privacy researchers argue weakens protections for sensitive demographic information. The Bureau cited concerns about data accuracy and usability for researchers and policymakers, though critics contend the decision prioritizes raw statistical precision over safeguarding against re-identification attacks that could expose individuals' personal details.