How can we improve trust in federal economic statistics? | Brookings Michael Horrigan presents a framework for preserving and enhancing trust in federal statistics.

"In the absence of restoring the now defunct advisory
committees—which we highly recommend be done—one clear opportunity that exists is for stakeholders to take a significant leadership role in setting up new communication channels with the statistical agencies..."
www.brookings.edu/articles/how...

Demystifying Data Privacy in the U.S. (Part 1) YouTube video by Association of Public Data Users (APDU)

If you missed the launch of our new data privacy resources, you can watch the recording and access the materials here:
youtu.be/0H8zYyJ0mIU?...

Government use of personal data is changing. How to ensure responsibility? | Federal News Network Privacy is about your ability to control what information you are making available to whom for what reason," Bethanne Barnes said.

Government use of personal data is changing. How to ensure responsibility?

Listen to the latest episode of Federal Drive and hear all about APDU's latest work:
federalnewsnetwork.com/big-data/202...

USAJOBS connects job seekers with federal jobs across the United States and around the world as the official employment site for the federal government <p>This position is for a Senior Statistician within the Office of Data Analytics (JD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The Office of Data Analytics serves ...

JOB OPPORTUNITY: The Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Transportation (DOT) is hiring for a Statistician (GS 12-14).
statistics.usajobs.gov/job/861730000

Action alert:

Can chatbot accuracy affect human accuracy?

Join us on April 28 for the next webinar in our "Perspectives on AI" series: We'll be learning about new research on LLMs in Public Services.

us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Sign up for our webinar on Demystifying Data Privacy to learn more: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

APDU’s Managing “Mixed Systems” of Records resource explains how these systems work in practice and highlights a simple fix originally developed by the DHS:
extend Privacy Act protections to everyone.

Read our “Mixed Systems” brief: apdu.org/wp-content/u...

Screenshot of report cover. Full text available at link in post.

The Privacy Act of '74 only protects citizens & “green card” holders. That creates a challenge when agencies hold records on both people who are covered & people who aren't
In these “mixed systems,” agencies often can’t tell who's currently covered, & therefore entitled to protections under the Act🧵

The nonprofit Association of Public Data Users wrote in its comment that the notice “seems designed particularly to obfuscate the purpose of the collection and potential uses of the data.”

Thanks to NextGov for reporting on this important data privacy story
www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...

You can learn more about federal data privacy at our webinar next week.
Register now: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Screenshot of report. All text available at link in post.

DYK federal agencies can disclose your personal info to more people, for more reasons than you may be aware of?

And agencies don’t have to tell you directly, get your consent first, or stop if you object.

Our "Routine Use" brief explains this loophole & how it works
apdu.org/apdu-in-acti...

Majority of Americans want stronger oversight of government data-sharing | StateScoop As the federal government continues to seek more of the personal data held by state governments, three in four Americans report wanting stronger oversight.

Majority of Americans want stronger oversight of government data-sharing
statescoop.com/cdt-governme...

As DOJ prepares to share state voter data with DHS, a key privacy officer resigns Since last year, the Justice Department has made unprecedented demands to states for sensitive voter data, including driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

As DOJ prepares to share state voter data with DHS, a key privacy officer resigns
www.npr.org/2026/04/03/n...

This Primer on the Privacy Act is essential reading: knowing the law allows you to spot gaps in protections, and hold agencies accountable when rules are not followed.

Read now:
apdu.org/wp-content/u...

Screenshot of report cover. Full text available at link in post.

APDU’s Primer on the Privacy Act of 1974 provides a clear, accessible overview of the law, incl. the rights it gives to you, & the responsibilities it places on federal agencies.

Read now:
apdu.org/wp-content/u...

However, the rules—and the shortcomings in those privacy rules—are widely misunderstood and can be twisted and exploited. For example, many Americans may be alarmed to know that their data is being shared for purposes they are not aware of.
3/n

New resources from APDU can help close the knowledge gap!

The Privacy Act of 1974 is the foundational privacy law, providing guardrails for when and how personal data is handled and shared by federal agencies with the intent to make the government treat individuals fairly.
2/n

Common Concern: Americans Worried About Personal Data Held by Public Agencies and Want Government Accountability Limiting the collection, sharing, and consolidation of personal data that is held by government agencies has been a decades-long, bipartisan priority across the United States. [1] But these limits hav...

Did you know that the Center for Democracy and Technology recently found that more than 80% of survey respondents thought that privacy laws are important, but *fewer than half* know their legal rights? 🧵

(Keep reading, we have some solutions)

cdt.org/insights/com...

"To achieve the full promise of 2024 SPD 15 for improving the quality of federal data, OMB must hold federal agencies accountable to fully implementing the updated standards, including the requirement to use the detailed categories by default."
dataindex.us/newsletter/a...

Why the 2026 Census Test Puts Fair Representation at Risk An accurate decennial census count is the foundation on which resources, representation, rights are shaped and allocated in this country.

Why the 2026 Census Test Puts Fair Representation at Risk

Read the latest from our friends at The Leadership Conference:
civilrights.org/blog/2026-ce...

Public Commenting on Federal Data: More Powerful (and More Doable) Than It Looks

New from our friends at @dataindex.us:
dataindex.us/newsletter/a...

The International Journal of Population Data Science (IJPDS) has issued a call for papers for a special issue dedicated to Privacy Enhancing Technologies for Population-Scale Data Use.
ijpds.org/calls/privac...

TOMORROW (Apr 1) is the last day to apply for the @ipums.bsky.social summer data training workshop. This is a perfect chance to jump start a research project that requires linking with historical US census data. You can also request travel support. lcc.umn.edu/DIRC-workshop

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Demystifying Data Privacy in the U.S.. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. We all expect the federal government to treat us fairly and safeguard our personal information. And, in fact, the Privacy Act of 1974 serves that function, providing guardrails for when and how pers...

Understanding the Privacy Act is essential.

APDU’s *new* resources break down key protections and shortcomings.

Don’t miss our April 15 webinar to learn more:
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Common Concern: Americans Worried About Personal Data Held by Public Agencies and Want Government Accountability Limiting the collection, sharing, and consolidation of personal data that is held by government agencies has been a decades-long, bipartisan priority across the United States. [1] But these limits hav...

Our friends at @cdt.org just released a new report that shows an overwhelming majority of Americans are concerned about the privacy and security of their personal data that is held by the government

Read now:
cdt.org/insights/com...

Bureau plans to use mail carriers in census test already facing criticism The U.S. Census Bureau is planning to use postal carriers as census takers for a pilot program in two southern cities.

Bureau plans to use mail carriers in census test already facing criticism
apnews.com/article/cens...

In Washington’s War on Data, the Economy and Public Will Lose We have a saying here at Bloomberg, and it’s one we brought with us to New York City Hall: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” The federal government is now in danger of proving just how m...

In Washington’s War on Data, the Economy and Public Will Lose
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

These brilliant people have taught me SO MUCH about U.S. data privacy policy over the past few months.

I cannot wait for them to share with all of you.

Care about what's happening with data privacy in the US?
Then this is an event you won't want to miss. 🎯
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...