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Pages 31-60

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From page 31...
... Such linking could provide additional insights into the characteristics of key supply-chain participants. Despite evidence that the blending of diverse data assets for statistical purposes is already a growing component of the federal statistical system and other parts of government,11 there is no cohesive, coordinated plan to build a new data infrastructure to provide statistical agencies or the broader community access to the diverse, relevant data sources needed to further this practice.
From page 32...
... . The Evidence Act implemented about half of CEP's recommendations and provides statistical agencies with a broader statutory basis for access ing and using data assets of federal nonstatistical agencies: "The head of an agency shall, to the extent practicable, make any data asset maintained by the agency available, upon request, to any statistical agency or unit for purposes of developing evidence" (U.S.
From page 33...
... . According to the Evidence Act, providing access to data assets is "for purposes of developing evidence." The Evidence Act defines "evidence" as "information produced as a result of statistical activities conducted for a statistical purpose" (U.S.
From page 34...
... Consistent with the Evidence Act and CEP, ACDEB did not address possible improvements through the use of private sector data for national statistics. ACDEB discussed the Biden Administration's priorities, including presidential memoranda and executive orders that impact the Panel's work (The White House, 2021a,b)
From page 35...
... The examples of statistical agencies using blended data -- both those ­described in this chapter and those discussed during the National A ­ cademies' December 2021 workshops on The Scope, Components, and Key Character istics of a 21st Century Data Infrastructure -- have shown promising results. However, broader use is often limited by statute, complicated negotiations and contract mechanisms, lack of methods or expertise, or unwillingness to share data.
From page 36...
... The data assets available for blend ing in a new data infrastructure include those held by the federal statisti cal, program, and administrative agencies; state, tribal, territory, and local governments; private sector companies; nonprofit and academic institu tions; and crowdsourced and citizen-science data. At this time, however, the United States has no cohesive, coordinated plan to ensure that novel, blended data become an essential and growing source of public information and research.
From page 37...
... Laws and regulations remain major obstacles to accessing and using federal statistical, program, and administrative data, as well as state, tribal, territory, and local government data. Most data holders have no incentives to contribute or share their data for the common good.
From page 38...
... In the panel's vision, explicit values will guide the operations of a new data infrastructure and decisions relating to its use. Primary among these values is respecting and protecting data subjects and data holders.
From page 39...
... In the panel's vision, a new data infrastructure must also support two way information flows: from data holders to statistical agencies and from statistical agencies to data holders. Statistical agencies must return useful information and services to data holders to inform the data holders' deci sions, operations, and activities.
From page 40...
... • The national data infrastructure operates in a high-trust environment, charac terized by transparency, that balances expanded data use with strengthened privacy preservation and confidentiality protection, data security, legal com pliance, and responsible and ethical data use. SOURCE: Panel generated.
From page 41...
... Second, the panel argues that a new data infrastructure must address underlying issues of autonomy -- the ability of data subjects to make their own decisions. As a new data infrastructure is developed, how will individuals and the community at large be involved with the creation of consent procedures relevant to blending multiple data sources to produce aggregate statistics?
From page 42...
... In short, accounting for data subjects and their rights, minimizing possible harm, and broadly engaging communities are ethical necessities that will contribute to the legitimacy and trust-building required for a successful new data infrastructure. Privacy and security are key features of a trusted system; data are safeguarded and secured, while privacy is preserved and confidentiality protected.
From page 43...
... Finally, sustainable methods have evolved for using data for research and solely statistical purposes, without violating confidentiality pledges given by federal statistical agencies (for example the FSRDC network) .2 A new data infrastructure can take ­advantages of these discoveries in mounting its privacy-protecting framework.
From page 44...
... Determinations of statistical purposes for federal statistical agencies have, generally, been relatively straightforward, but the Evidence Act has added a wrinkle relevant to a new national data infrastructure. The Evidence Act provides access to data assets "for purposes of developing evidence," where "evidence" is "information produced as a result of statistical activities conducted for a statistical purpose" (U.S.
From page 45...
... The panel notes that all of these are uses of statistical data appropriate for a new data infrastructure. Federal statistical agencies have legally sanctioned missions limited to statistical uses of data.
From page 46...
... Thus, the need to demonstrate the benefits of expanded data sharing to diverse data holders and important stakeholders becomes a prerequisite for the success of a new data infrastructure. State, tribal, territory, and local governments, along BOX 3-4 Data Holders Proposed to Share Data in a 21st Century National Data Infrastructure • Principal federal statistical agencies • Federal program and administrative agencies • State, tribal, territory, and local governments • Private sector enterprises • Data brokers • Nonprofit and academic institutions • Crowdsourced or citizen science SOURCE: Panel generated.
From page 47...
... However, in the panel's opinion, benefits should go beyond improved statistics to include reciprocal information sharing, in which tailored insights extracted from data assets and analysis flow back to data holders, informing their activities and operations. Direct Benefits to Data Holders of Sharing Data for National Statistical Purposes The panel reviewed a set of benefits that could sustainably be offered to data holders in return for access to their data for national statistical needs.
From page 48...
... Such a new era would begin with the promise that a new data infrastructure would be designed to benefit data subjects, data holders, data users, and society as a whole. Another way to incentivize data holders is to ensure that the societal benefits are proportionate to the possible costs and risks of sharing their data assets.
From page 49...
... Attribute 4: Reformed Legal Authorities Protecting All Parties' Interests In the panel's judgment, a new data infrastructure needs to rest on a legal and regulatory framework that clearly defines which data assets can be shared, with whom, and for what purposes. The current infrastructure is far from the ideal described earlier.
From page 50...
... However, there are many valuable government data assets whose use for statistical purposes is limited. For example, the Evidence Act's CIPSEA 2018 amendment (Evidence Act, Part B)
From page 51...
... Standardizing procedures for research and statistical use of data would aid the functioning of a new data infrastructure. By contrast, private sector data brokers collect, buy, aggregate, and sell data on individuals and companies for profit, with few legal restrictions.
From page 52...
... Legal and regulatory changes are necessary to achieve the full promise of a 21st century national data infrastructure. (Conclusion 3-3)
From page 53...
... Some frameworks define data governance as "the ability to manage the life cycle of data through the implementation of policies, processes and rules in accordance with the organisation's strategic objectives."10 For discussion purposes, the panel defines the data-governance framework as including the authorities; structures; roles and responsibilities; policies, rules, and directives; guiding principles; and resources needed to support a new data infrastructure. Key data infrastructure capabilities include acquiring, accessing, using, managing, and protecting data assets.
From page 54...
... and governance protocols emerging from other countries. The principles underlying the governance framework necessary for a new data infrastructure are precisely those articulated in the panel's vision -- deep devotion to privacy-protecting mechanisms, respect for data holders' and data subjects' interests and rights, and the provision of tangible benefits to those who share data for blending to produce improved information on critical societal features.
From page 55...
... Authority for over all governance of a new data infrastructure needs to be clarified, along with possible authority needed by any oversight body. • Who makes the decision to permit statistical uses of multiple data sources?
From page 56...
... • How will the system provide remedy and redress? Standards: An Important Component of Data Governance Just as data governance implements the spirit of legal reform permitting a new data infrastructure, "standards" are the logical implementations for some features of data governance and are important building blocks for a new data infrastructure.
From page 57...
... As Katherine Wallman, workshop participant, noted, data standards also can be an important gift to data holders and can incentivize them to share their data. Standards permit the coordination of actors on shared documentation, and, in return, government statistical agencies can use standardized data to report back to stakeholders, creating a virtuous cycle of standards and information useful to society.
From page 58...
... Attribute 6: Transparency to the Public Regarding Analytical Operations Using the Infrastructure In addition to the attributes described above, the panel believes that transparency is critical to building the trust essential to engendering widespread support for a new data infrastructure.14 A new data infrastructure, in the panel's view, must be viewed as legitimate by the participating data holders, data subjects, and society at large. A new infrastructure will include more sources of data from more data holders on more data subjects than did the data infrastructure of the 20th century.
From page 59...
... . The panel notes that the current United States legal and governance framework does not supply the level of transparency that these formal entities are promulgating.
From page 60...
... Transparent communication with the public, data holders, data subjects, and all relevant constituencies about how data are used and protected and how they are benefiting society can help instill confidence in a new data infrastructure and eventually result in societal trust in and "ownership" of that infrastructure. Trust in a new data infrastructure requires transparency of operations and accountability of the operators, with ongoing engagement of stake holders.


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