Adult Education Survey Anonymisation Point 6 Adult Education Survey Anonymisation Point 6.2 of the agenda ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1000/2007 of 29 August 2007 amending Regulation (EC) No 831/2002 implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 on Community Statistics, concerning access to confidential data for scientific purposes. AES is included in the list of surveys for which anonymised microdata sets can be released. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation The inclusion of the Adult Education Survey (AES) in the Regulation is a necessary but not sufficient condition to get access to data. The national authorities who provided the data will be informed about each specific research project to be undertaken according to the bilateral agreement between them and Eurostat. The countries may still decline the individual requests even if they had voted ‘Yes’ for including AES in the Regulation ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation The AES microdata set does not include name and address of the respondent. The respondent cannot be directly identified. In this sense the data are confidential. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation The data delivered to Eurostat should not be anonymised in advance by countries. This procedure should be done by Eurostat in cooperation with countries after achieving agreement on the commonly elaborated anonymisation methods. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation From Eurostat's point of view it would be preferable if AES could be distributed as an anonymised microdata set. Eurostat is legally obliged to agree with Member States on the appropriate anonymisation criteria in accordance with current best practices for minimising the risk of disclosure. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation Discussion at the AES implementation TF Two social surveys' (EU-SILC and EU-LFS) anonymisation practices were presented at the AES TF meeting in March 2007 with the purpose of receiving the first comments and suggestions but not to elaborate and agree on the Anonymisation procedures for the AES. The most risky variables e.g. region are not included. Not a big disclosure risk for the AES microdata file. However no specific studies on disclosure risk were conducted on the AES data so far. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation Discussion at the AES implementation TF TF members: Encourage to keep as few anonymisation and data perturbations as possible. Urge Eurostat to allow the access to the microdata sets as soon as possible and without waiting for the survey completion in all countries. Access to the microdata given to researchers will contribute significantly to the data use and analysis and contribute to the next phases of the project. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation Proposed strategy Option A To consult in written the ETS WG members with the request to coordinate the discussion with AES and confidentiality specialists. The first proposal of the list of variables to be suppressed and/or modified is attached to the current document (Annex 1) ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation Option A Timing ETS WG Members - to launch the procedure of consultation on the proposal from Annex 1 in their country and deliver its result until 19 October 2007 to Eurostat. The results of the consultation and the proposal of the Anonymisation rules distributed in written to ETS WG members for approval not later than on 26 October 2007. The final proposal will be presented during the Statistical Confidentiality Committee meeting on 14 December 2007. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation Option B To extend the mandate and composition of the existing AES Implementation TF and devote some time of a future meeting specifically to the Anonymisation issues. Option C To establish a specific TF focused on the elaboration of the Anonymisation rules on the basis of disclosure risk studies and with respect to the current best practices. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation Timing (for options B and C) The meetings either of the AES implementation TF or a specific AES Anonymisation TF on 13-14.11.2007. Volunteering countries will be asked for conducting the disclosure risks studies and deliver their results till the 5 November 2007. Consultation with the ETS WG members 22 November 2007, The Statistical Confidentiality Committee will be informed on the work progress on 14 December 2007. ETS WG members will be consulted on the approval of the elaborated methods till January 2008. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation Comments: Option A + time efficient, + in line with the TF recommendations, + not much effort required - simplistic, intuitive - without a strong base (disclosure risks studies); Options B and C + strongly based - time consuming - burden on countries ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007

Adult Education Survey Anonymisation The ETS WG participants are asked to comment on the proposed strategies and take a decision on their recommendation on what option should be followed. ETS WG meeting 24-25 September 2007