When the U.S. Census Bureau announced its intention to modernize its disclosure avoidance procedures for the 2020 Census, it sparked a controversy that is still underway. The move to differential privacy introduced technical and procedural uncertainties, leaving stakeholders unable to evaluate the quality of the data. More importantly, this transformation exposed the statistical illusions that have surrounded census data for decades. Efforts to leverage technically oriented privacy-enhancing tools have triggered a battle over uncertainty, trust, and legitimacy of the Census.

For most people, privacy is a value, rooted in the ability to control a social situation. Yet, within legal and technical contexts, it’s also a framework for determining the flow of information. This talk will grapple with the politics and fractures of privacy in the context of the U.S. census, highlighting how privacy has shapeshifted since the country’s first count and reflecting on what has become of privacy in our data-rich present. This talk will mix history, STS theory, and technical concerns, all presented in a way that is designed to be broadly accessible.

Seminar date: Wednesday, May 4, 12:00-1:00 pm CST, via Zoom.