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Disclosure-Protected Frequency Tables from Linked Microdata

The ABS is undertaking several data integration projects as an Integrating Authority. An Integrating Authority brings together data collected by different data custodians, at the unit level, to enable analysis of a combined set of information for statistical and research purposes. The option of enabling access, via a remote server, to linked microdata in order to produce frequency tables is being explored. The ABS must not publish information, such as frequency counts, in a manner that is likely to enable the identification of a person or organisation. The significant disclosure risk that must be managed by an Integrating Authority is that one data custodian may use the microdata it supplied to the Integrating Authority and the frequency tables released from the remote server to disclose information about a person or organisation that was supplied by the other data custodian. The Data Access and Confidentiality Methodology Unit has investigated the disclosure risks of allowing analysts access via a remote server to flexibly generated tables based on the linked microdata. This was a continuation of previous work which investigated the disclosure risk of releasing regression output from linked microdata.

Further Information
For more information, please contact Daniel Gow (02 6252 6732, daniel.gow@abs.gov.au)