Statistical disclosure control (SDC) in practice: some examples in official statistics of Statistics Netherlands

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Schulte Nordholt, Eric^{; 1}

Affiliations: Statistics Netherlands, P.O. Box 4000, 2270 JM Voorburg, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 70 337 4931; Fax: +31 70 387 7429; E-mail: [email protected]

Note: [1] The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policies of Statistics Netherlands.

Abstract: The paper describes how two related software packages can be applied for producing safe data. The package τ-ARGUS is used for tabular data and its twin μ-ARGUS for microdata. The main techniques used to protect sensitive information are global recoding and local suppression. Bona fide researchers who need more information have the possibility to visit Statistics Netherlands and work on-site in a secure area within Statistics Netherlands. Some examples are given of official statistics that have benefited from statistical disclosure control techniques.

Keywords: microdata, μ-ARGUS, software, statistical disclosure control, tables, τ-ARGUS

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2001-18406

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 321-328, 2001