Opinion | Changes to the Census Could Make Small Towns Disappear - The New York Times - 0 views
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According to the 2010 census, 590 people lived in Toksook Bay. State demographers expect the total to rise by about 100 people when census results are published next year.
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The law requires individual census records to be kept confidential for 72 years. Fearing that data brokers using new statistical techniques could de-anonymize the published population totals, the bureau is testing an algorithm that will scramble the final numbers. Imaginary people will be added to some locations and real people will be removed from others.
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In Toksook Bay, the population dropped from 590 people to 540 in the test run. Mr. Pitka said that a decrease in the count due to the privacy algorithm would be “disappointing and hurtful.”
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