Analysis of Data Perturbed by PRAM

By A.D.L. van der Hout
December 1999
Delft University Press
ISBN: 90-407-2014-2
78 pages
$28.00 paper original


The Post RAndomization Method (PRAM) was introduced in 1997 as a method for disclosure protection of microdata files. This report explains PRAM and discusses how statistical analysis can be adjusted when variables are perturbed by PRAM. Because PRAM always concerns categorical variables-variables with a finite number of values-the report mainly discusses categorical data analysis. The extent of randomness which the PRAM procedure needs to protect the data satisfactorily is not discussed; in the report, it is assumed to be known. The main question is, given the perturbed file and the information on the extent of the perturbation, how can standard statistical analysis be adjusted?

Computer Science
WBBM Report Series, No. 45

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