Reply #61: They have everything to worry about

[Febble]

Sure, anyone can break into my house and steal my purse. But I try not to keep it in full view of an open window.

You just the left signatures, social security numbers, names, and addresses of several innocent people in full view of an open window, without their permission. You've never heard of "identity theft"?

And your assertion (in quotes - who are you quoting - yourself?) that Mitofsky is using a "'confidentiaility ruse'" as "an excuse to avoid public responsibility" has absolutely no basis in evidence. Read the guidelines of his own professional organisation. In addition, Mitofsky consulted the ethics committee of the American Statistical Association, and they agreed with his position.

Identity theft and data-mining, as we know only too well, is a serious issue, one you do not seem to have begun to grasp, as is all too apparent from your own careless public posting of other people's personal data. If you want access to confidential data, then acquiring rigorous habits of data protection yourself would be an excellent start. Actually, realising that personal data actually requires some level of protection would be an excellent start. One reason the data you want should not be publicly released is because there would be nothing to stop some idiot publishing it in a powerpoint on the internet.

If you want access to the data, then join AAPOR (if you have not already done so) and argue it out with the ethics committee. You may learn something.