Disclosure auditing in rounded tables

This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

It is customary for statistical agencies to audit tables containing suppressed cells in order to ensure that there is sufficient protection against inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information. If the table contains rounded values, this fact may be ignored by the audit procedure. This oversight can result in over-protection, reducing the utility of the published data. This paper provides correct auditing formulation and gives examples of over-protection.