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Anonymisation is about the removal of addresses as well as names! Although sometimes knowing the county will do, many analyses need much more precise locations. For example, work we are involved in using various birth cohort data sets involves adding data from (say) the 1951 census about the areas that people were born into in 1946 -- and this is only possible using addressing information which is held separately from the main research databases created by the birth cohort projects. I would add that in all my discussions of linking historical aggregate data with microdata from cohort samples, data protection issues have always been emphasised and we have had sometimes had to accept that my team with their training in GIS software may never be able to work directly with the microdata. It looks like the Home Office, etc, may be less rigorous -- but there ARE good reasons why analysts need access to detailed address data even if they do not need people's names. Humphrey Southall >>> "R.Thomas" <[log in to unmask]> 01/09/08 3:58 PM >>> [I do wish that the default settings on this list were restored to 'reply to all' I wonder how many messages are lost because people think that they are replying to the list when their message is actually going only to the author of a list message] This issue on loss of non-anonymised data draws attention to a fundamental point about the use of statistics. 99% of users are only interested in aggregate statistics. The need to non-anonymised data is surely small. So why does it appear that many copies of non-anonymised data exist? Ray Thomas, Faculty of Social Sciences, Open University -----Original Message----- From: email list for Radical Statistics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jane Galbraith Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 2:51 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: A bunch of losers Does anyone know the justification for allowing data out of the Home Office on prisoners etc in a non-anonymised form? The report said that PA Consulting were using the data for "research". What sort of research requires full names and addresses? Could the Office for National Statistics give other Departments guidance on how to share data whilst protecting privacy? Best wishes Jane -- Mrs Jane Galbraith Honorary Research Associate Department of Statistical Science University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT [log in to unmask] > GC Weekly > 28 August 2008 > ==================================================== > News about e-government and information-age public services in the UK and > worldwide from Kable, publisher of GC Magazine. Please pass on this > service to any colleagues who may like to subscribe -- see details at the > bottom of this mail. > ==================================================== > > A bunch of losers > > Last November, HM Revenue and Customs lost its entire database of 25m > people receiving child benefit on unencrypted, portable media. If found, > the 7m bank accounts in that database might have been compromised. Its > chair Paul Gray resigned, the chancellor > issued an ashen faced apology, and government embarked on a series of > information security reviews. > > Last week, the Home Office lost its entire database of prisoners in > England and Wales, as well as details of thousands of prolific offenders > and drug users - nearly 130,000 people in total - held on unencrypted, > portable media. If found, it could lead to > vigilante action against criminals and the government being sued. The home > secretary blamed its contractor, PA Consulting, which lost the data. > > This is pathetic. Although the incident damages PA Consulting's > reputation, the Home Office is fully responsible for the loss. > > Since last November, many departments including HMRC have made efforts to > improve their information security. One obvious lessons from then was that > it should be technically impossible to download an entire database of > personal information. The Home > Office clearly failed to learn this. > > If the department was trying to undermine its case for both the National > Identity Scheme and its desired central database of all emails, phone > calls and other communications, it could scarcely have done better. > > Martin Rathfelder > Director > Socialist Health Association > 22 Blair Road > Manchester > M16 8NS > 0870 013 0065 > www.sochealth.co.uk > > If you do not wish to be on our mailing list please let us know and we > will > remove you. > > > > Ursula Huws wrote: >> >> Is this of any interest to anyone? >> Ursula >> >> ---------------------------- Original Message >> ---------------------------- >> Subject: 2nd ANNOUNCEMENT: New Techniques and Technologies for >> Statistics >> Conference - Brussels 18-20 February 2009 >> From: [log in to unmask] >> Date: Thu, August 21, 2008 3:08 pm >> To: >> Cc: [log in to unmask] >> [log in to unmask] >> [log in to unmask] >> [log in to unmask] >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> -- >> >> Second announcement >> The NTTS (New Techniques and Technologies for Statistics) seminar is an >> international scientific conference on the impact of new technologies on >> statistical collection, production and dissemination systems. The >> conference is intended to stimulate and facilitate the preparation of >> new >> innovative projects, to encourage co-operation and possible building of >> consortia by researchers with the aim of enhancing the quality and >> usefulness of official statistics. The main scope is to facilitate the >> relationship between official statisticians and researchers, in order to >> favour the proliferation of networking and ideas. >> This new NTTS conference will carry on the tradition of NTTS/ETK >> conferences which have been organised in 1992, 1995, 1998 and 2001. >> NTTS 2009 will be held in Brussels from 18 to 20 February 2009 in the >> Charlemagne building of the European Commission. >> Submission of abstracts is now open, until 4 November; instructions and >> the submission form are available on the conference website: >> >> http://www.ntts2009.eu >> >> _____________________ >> NTTS 2009 Secretariat >> Eurostat - Unit B5 >> Tel: +352 4301-34704 >> Fax: +352 4301-34149 >> E-mail: [log in to unmask] >> Postal address: >> European Commission >> Eurostat Unit B5 >> BECH A2/163 >> L-2920 LUXEMBOURG >> --- ****************************************************** Please note that if you press the 'Reply' button your message will go only to the sender of this message. 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To find out more about Radical Statistics and its aims and activities and read current and past issues of our newsletter you are invited to visit our web site www.radstats.org.uk. ******************************************************* ****************************************************** Please note that if you press the 'Reply' button your message will go only to the sender of this message. If you want to reply to the whole list, use your mailer's 'Reply-to-All' button to send your message automatically to [log in to unmask] Disclaimer: The messages sent to this list are the views of the sender and cannot be assumed to be representative of the range of views held by subscribers to the Radical Statistics Group. To find out more about Radical Statistics and its aims and activities and read current and past issues of our newsletter you are invited to visit our web site www.radstats.org.uk. *******************************************************