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Understanding the Department of Commerce’s Disclosure Avoidance Order 216-26
The Data Foundation created this resource to help the public, data users, and policymakers better understand Departmental Administrative Order (DAO) 216-26, a June 2026 Department of Commerce directive that changes how the Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) protect the confidentiality of the statistics they publish.
This page offers a neutral, plain-language fact sheet and a companion explainer to help you understand what the order does, why it matters, how to frame the issues at hand, and what open questions remain about how the order’s implementation. The Data Foundation works at the seam between data policy and statistical practices and takes no position on whether the order should stand—our aim here is to help the stakeholders understand the choice clearly.
What does DAO 216-26 actually require? This Q&A fact sheet lays out the essentials: how the order changes Census Bureau and BEA practice, why techniques like differential privacy were adopted in the first place, and how the data community has reacted. Start here for a clear rundown of the policy and the debate — the companion explainer digs into the "policy vs. technical" questions underneath it. READ THE FACT SHEET.
Is DAO 216-26 a policy decision or a statistical one — and why does it matter? This explainer offers a framework for distinguishing between the two, examines what good process looks like, and what questions are still open. READ THE EXPLAINER.
