Statistical information: right to privacy versus right to information

Abstract

The demand for statistics is rising now-a-days. Statistics about everything are being demanded, as an essential and specific information to generate knowledge of complex realities, in a globalized world, where there is an intense competition (and perhaps cooperation too). But, due to the special nature of statistics (the
manner in which they have to be produced), the right to information of all, will deny to many the right of privacy. In fact, to produce statistics is essential to convince (or to oblige) each informant, to brake his/her privacy, revealing selected aspects of someone’st individuality. To convince someone to cooperate, he/she receives from statistical agencies the promise to limit the use of his/her individual information, which will never be disclosed individually, being used only in
statistical aggregations. As a consequence, the statistical agencies’ capacity to disseminate information is limited, so being also restricted the people’s right to information. The aim of this text is to analyze that dilemma, through the study of
obligation and its other face, the confidentiality. This study resulted, once more, of intellectual investigations made long ago by the author.