APDU

@apduorg.bsky.social

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Association of Public Data Users (APDU) is a national network that links users, producers, and disseminators of government statistical data. Members share a vital concern about the collection, dissemination, preservation, and interpretation of public data.

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APDU Guiding Principles for Public Data
Principle 6: Public Data Systems Are Sustainable
Data systems must be designed for long-term access, preservation, and reliability.
Regular monitoring and oversight help identify risks and ensure continuity.
Even one-time data collections should meet rigorous standards.

APDU Guiding Principles for Public Data
Principle 5: Public Data Are Fit-for-Purpose

Quality is multidimensional: accuracy, consistency, and representativeness all matter.
Data should support effective policy and research.
Limitations such as missing data and imputation must be clearly documented.

APDU Guiding Principles for Public Data
3: Every Step of the Data Lifecycle Supports Ethical Data
Data should serve the public good.
Practices should respect individuals, communities, and data sovereignty.
Goals, methods, limitations, and uncertainty should be communicated clearly to support responsible data use.

APDU Guiding Principles for Public Data
Number 2: Privacy and Confidentiality Are Protected
Strong privacy protections build trust and support data quality.
Communities affected by data should be respected and represented in privacy decision-making.
Privacy protections must be built into every stage of the data lifecycle.

Info card that reads: APDU Guiding Principles for Public Data
1 Public Data Area Accessible
Why This Matters
Publicly-funded data should be publicly available, with appropriate privacy protections.
Data, metadata, and documentation should align with open data standards.
Data access strengthens democracy and innovation.

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Webinar
Rapid Response Data Briefing
2026 Census Test
February 23, 2026
4:00-4:30 PM ET
Co-hosted by dataindex.us, Association of Public Data Users (APDU), PRB, The Census Project, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, and Fair Count

APDU’s 2025 By The Numbers
1 unConference for members to share knowledge and discuss issues of concern.
2 Data Integrity Summits to understand the biggest risks to public data.
3 Taking Stock conversations to reflect on the public data and evidence ecosystem.
4 public statements on changes to data infrastructure, including one of the nation’s first statements on the erasure of public data from government websites.
5 Town Halls on topics ranging from digital security to the dissolution of federal scientific advisory committees.
6 blogs on data integrity topics.
9 briefings, reaching more than 1,500 participants, to increase awareness of risks facing federal data and to equip the public with tools for how to respond.
11 letters signed to support the federal statistical system.
12 monthly newsletters to keep members informed.
30+ publicly-available slides, updated monthly, about changes to federal data.

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The 2025 USDA Fall Data Users' Meeting webinar has been canceled.
Thank you!
2025 USDA Fall Data Users' Meeting
Date & Time **strikeout text** Oct 21, 2025 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Central Time (US and Canada)

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Webinar
Rapid Response Data Briefing
Understanding the Food Security Supplement
Tuesday, October 7
3:00-3:30 PM ET

FRAC APDU DataIndex.US PRB

Navigating the HIFLD transition: lessons from HIFLD Open's sunsetting, and call to action for secure use cases.
Thursday
September 25, 2025
4-5pm EDT

Live Webinar: The State of Data Access II
September 25th, 1pm CT / 2pm ET
Presented by MySidewalk in partnership with USAFacts, America's Essential Data, and NLC

Rapid Response Data Briefing
Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey
Wednesday, September 3
2:30-3:00 PM ET
APDU
DataIndex.US
PRB

Rapid Response Data Briefing
Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey
Wednesday, September 3
2:30-3:00 PM ET
APDU
DataIndex.US
PRB

Documented attacks on science by administration
Bush 2001-2009 - 96
Obama 2009-2017 19
Trump 2017-2021 207
Biden 2021-2025 2
Trump Jan-Jun 2025 402

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Notable Changes
CDC Revised and Deleted 26 SOGI Data Elements from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System

The CDC submitted a revision request on June 26, 2025, for the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). Citing EO 14168, the agency provided a table outlining 26 revisions and deletions of data elements across questions related to all conditions, hepatitis, human rabies, listeria, mpox, and non-congenital STDs. These changes include replacing terms like “gestational parent” with “gestational mother,” deleting questions about gender identity and sexual orientation, and eliminating all references to transgender individuals.

Rapid Response Webinar:
American Time Use Survey
Wednesday, July 9
2:30-3:00 pm ET

Association of Public Data Users 2025 Sponsorship
Opportunities
The Association of Public Data Users (APDU) is a national network that connects users, producers, and disseminators of government statistical data. APDU members share a vital concern about the collection, dissemination, preservation, and interpretation of public data.
Your sponsorship is vital to supporting public data.

Association of Public Data Users 2025 Sponsorship Opportunities

The Association of Public Data Users (APDU) is a national network that connects users, producers, and disseminators of government statistical data. APDU members share a vital concern about the collection, dissemination, preservation, and interpretation of public data.

Your sponsorship is vital to supporting public data.

APDU unConference 2025
Connect. Learn. Strategize.

APDU UnConference 2025
Connect. Learn. Strategize.

Tweet from DOGE that reads:
Besides the Census itself, the
@USCensusBureau
performs 102 additional surveys costing $2.2 billion, many of them obsolete with the results not being used to drive any action nor even looked at.

The Census Bureau and DOGE are reviewing them one-by-one. So far, 5 wasteful surveys, totaling 493 pages of questions and $16.5M in costs, have been terminated, with questions like:
- “In your entire life, have you had at least 12 drinks of any kind of alcohol, not counting small tastes or sips?”
- “Was this MOSTLY regular wine, wine coolers, or fortified wine?”
- “How frequently do you use the internet in your home?”

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Call to action on education data

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Screenshot of APDU statement on public data. Full text at link in comments.

Call your representatives and ask them to defend public data

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