A Dissenting View from Julia Lane

The topic of the role of privacy and confidentiality in the use of administrative records for statistical purposes is an important one. In providing comments, I will draw extensively from my experience in working with fifty states and six federal agencies in creating the LEHD (Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics) program at the Census Bureau between 1997 (when I started my ASA fellowship) and 2004 (when the program became a fully-fledged Census Bureau program). However, I will also draw on my experience in building the LEED (Linked Employer-Employee Data) program at Statistics New Zealand, as well as my experience working with the data producers from many countries (both statistical agencies and administrative agencies) while in my World Bank consultancy. The final context is my experience with cyberinfrastructure initiatives within the United States, as well as in Europe.