Confidentiality in an era of big data: An official statistics perspective

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Penneck, Stephen

Affiliations: International Statistical Institute, 13 Worcester Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 6PQ, UK | Tel.: +44 20 8642 9297; E-mail: stephen.penneck@gmail.com

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: International Statistical Institute, 13 Worcester Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 6PQ, UK. Tel.: +44 20 8642 9297; E-mail: stephen.penneck@gmail.com.

Abstract: This paper looks at some of the ethical challenges that Big Data and data linking present for official statistics, reviews some of the international initiatives in train, focusing on recent developments in the UK. It emphasises the importance of confidentiality in maintaining trust in official statistics, arguing that, although the ethical issues are everywhere acknowledged as important, the debate on this is still at an early stage, and needs to be pursued.

Keywords: Big data, ethics, data linking

DOI: 10.3233/SJI-190501

Journal: Statistical Journal of the IAOS, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 353-358, 2019