Why are data experts rushing to preserve U.S. stats?

The Data Warriors: Protecting the Nation’s Statistical Legacy

In recent years, a growing movement of data experts has emerged to safeguard critical government data sets. This initiative has gained momentum as concerns have risen about the potential manipulation or loss of vital information on U.S. government websites. These efforts are driven by a collective belief that reliable data is essential for informed policymaking and that national statistics should remain free from political influence.

The movement includes statisticians, demographers, and computer scientists who are working together to preserve and share data, often in secret. Their mission is to ensure that important datasets remain accessible for future use, even if they face challenges due to changes in administration or policy shifts.

Threats to Data Integrity

Since January, there have been multiple threats to the U.S. data infrastructure. These include the disappearance or modification of data related to gender, sexual orientation, health, climate change, and diversity. Additionally, job cuts at statistical agencies have removed key personnel responsible for managing restricted-access data.

Experts like Jennifer Park, a study director for the Committee on National Statistics, have highlighted the significant amount of public funds spent on collecting these data. However, without proper staffing, many of these datasets are now inaccessible.

One notable example occurred in February when the CDC's public data portal, data.cdc.gov, was taken down temporarily. Similarly, users accessing data from the U.S. Census Bureau's most comprehensive survey experienced an "unavailable due to maintenance" message before access was restored.

Changes in Terminology and Documentation

Researchers Janet Freilich and Aaron Kesselheim analyzed 232 federal public health datasets and found that nearly half had been significantly altered. A common change involved replacing the term “gender” with “sex.” This shift raised concerns about the accuracy and completeness of the data.

Beth Jarosz, a senior program director at the Population Reference Bureau, shared her experience of discovering that a question about discrimination based on gender or sexual identity had been removed from a dataset she had previously downloaded. This incident underscored the importance of preserving not just the data itself but also the accompanying documentation.

Initiatives to Preserve Federal Data

Several groups have formed this year to collect and preserve federal data. These include:

• DataIndex.com: A website run by the Federation of American Scientists that monitors changes to federal data sets.
• Data Mirror: A project by the University of Chicago Library that backs up and hosts at-risk data sets.
• Data Rescue Project: A clearinghouse for data rescue-related efforts.
• Federal Data Forum: A platform sharing information about missing or modified federal statistics.
• American Statistical Association: Also working to track changes in federal data.

These initiatives are crucial in ensuring that data remains accessible and unaltered, even in the face of potential political interference.

Encouraging Data Backup Efforts

Outside data warriors are also reaching out to workers at statistical agencies, urging them to back up any restricted data. Lena Bohman, a founding member of the Data Rescue Project, emphasized the importance of taking proactive steps to protect data, stating, “You can't trust that this data is going to be here tomorrow.”

Reviving Expert Advisory Committees

Separately, a group of outside experts has unofficially revived a long-running U.S. Census Bureau advisory committee that was eliminated by the Trump administration. Although Census Bureau officials will not attend the upcoming meeting, the committee will forward its recommendations to the bureau.

Demographer Allison Plyer noted that some agency officials are excited about the committee's re-emergence, even though it operates outside official channels. She stated, “They just aren't getting any outside expertise... and they want expertise, which is understandable from nerds.”

This ongoing effort highlights the importance of maintaining transparency and integrity in the collection and preservation of critical data. As the fight to protect data continues, the collaboration between experts and the public remains vital to ensuring that accurate and reliable information remains available for future generations.