Government statistics at risk: Data enthusiasts Race to Secure Data Integrity
In the wake of administrative changes and policy shifts, data availability from U.S. government websites has become a significant concern. Since January 2021, various instances of data alterations or disappearance have been reported, prompting an army of statisticians, demographers, and computer scientists to take action.
The causes of these data alterations or disappearance are multifaceted. Administrative changes can lead to shifts in priorities and policies, potentially affecting the availability of data related to previous initiatives or projects. New policies might render certain data irrelevant or sensitive, prompting their removal. Technical issues such as website migrations, updates, or cyber attacks can also result in data loss or alteration.
Historical instances have shown that data related to environmental data, health statistics, and economic figures have been affected. For example, past administrations have been criticized for altering or removing data related to climate change, health outcomes, and economic indicators.
Efforts to preserve these data sets are ongoing. Organizations like the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine and other data preservation groups work tirelessly to maintain records of government websites, ensuring that historical data remains accessible. Many government agencies now follow open data policies, making data more accessible and encouraging mirror sites or independent archives to maintain copies of data.
Public awareness and media scrutiny also play a crucial role in pressuring governments to maintain transparency and ensure that data is not altered or removed without justification. The American Statistical Association, the Federal Data Forum, the Data Rescue Project, and the Federation of American Scientists' dataindex.com are among the entities sharing information about altered or missing federal data.
The University of Chicago Library's Data Mirror website backs up and hosts at-risk data sets, while an unofficial committee of outside experts has revived a long-running U.S. Census Bureau advisory committee that was eliminated by the Trump administration. However, figuring out what's been changed is challenging since many alterations weren't recorded in documentation.
Job cuts of workers and contractors who had been guardians of restricted-access data at statistical agencies have occurred, raising concerns about the future of data preservation. Lena Bohman, a founding member of the Data Rescue Project, emphasizes the urgency of the situation, stating, "You can't trust that this data is going to be here tomorrow."
The stakes are high, as democracy suffers when policymakers lack reliable data, and national statistics should be above partisan politics. Outside data warriors are reaching out to workers at statistical agencies, urging them to back up any restricted data. Ensuring data availability for future policymakers is crucial for maintaining transparency and accountability.
- Concerns about data availability from Seattle's government websites have arisen, similar to those experienced on a national level, due to shifting politics and policies.
- The Vanishing Data Project, akin to the Data Rescue Project, is advocating for the backup of restricted-access data related to climate and general news in Seattle, as a means of preserving transparency and accountability.
- In light of the disappearance of data related to local politics and legislation on government websites, technology companies specializing in data-and-cloud-computing are developing solutions to maintain backup copies for future policymakers.
- With Seattle's government considering new policy-and-legislation on how to handle data, activists are urging city officials to prioritize data availability, ensuring that it remains accessible and above partisan politics.
