How are small data values protected to avoid revealing the identities of individual people?
In order to protect personal privacy, and to prevent revealing information that may identify specific individuals, small data values are not available in some circumstances. Incidence counts and corresponding rates and other measures are not revealed when the count falls below a ratio of the representative demographic population. WONDER protects small values in 3 ways: • The label “Suppressed” is displayed when counts fall below the determined “cut-off” value and the conditions for suppression are met. • Totals and sub-totals are not available when only one row in the results table is suppressed for any summarized section of the table. If an aggregate value represents more than one suppressed row, then sub-totals and totals are available when allowed. If the sub-totals or total values fall within the privacy policy, then these values are also suppressed as applicable. • Rows that contain suppressed measures are not sorted by the actual suppressed data value. When the results table is o
