Threats to Public Data Harm All Americans

COMMENTARY

Threats to Public Data Harm All Americans

By Karthick Ramakrishnan and Akil Vohra
Feb. 7, 2025

Key points: Undermining data harms everyone, regardless of where we live or our political ideology. We may disagree on policy solutions, but we have to agree on the sanctity of good data.

Recent actions taken by the Trump administration involving the removal and disruption of key federal public datasets have underscored a fundamental truth: Data is so essential, yet its value is not perceived until it is taken away.

Data informs everything we do—from the efficiency of daily business transactions to the effective delivery of various public services. Scientists and policy makers alike rely on public data to understand the causes and consequences of pressing issues, and to produce solutions involving the public and private sectors alike. 

And visibility and recognition in data has been a decades-long priority for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities that we serve. Indeed, as researchers have noted, data disaggregation is a civil rights issue for Asian Americans, ensuring access to critical benefits and protections.

Here are six essential ways that good data is foundational to our country’s success:

1. Data Expertise is Critical for America’s Economic Success

Data science is quickly growing in popularity across the nation, and statistics has long been a requirement for business, economics, and many other social sciences.

• The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report indicates that Big Data Specialists will see the biggest growth in demand over the next five years. 
• The U.S. Department of Labor also notes strong demand and high salaries for data scientists in the coming years.

^{Source: Future of Jobs Report 2025, World Economic Forum}

2. Good Data is Critical for America’s Global Competitiveness

The United States continues to remain one of the most dynamic economies in the world, and “good data” plays a critical role in powering the country’s competitiveness.

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes that data “has long been a driver of the United States’ 21st century economic leadership.”
• Population data plays a critical role in informing business decisions, large and small—from stock market trends to the expansion plans of many small businesses.

3. Good Data Ensures Community Health and Well Being

Population health data helps us understand who is disproportionately affected by various diseases, such as Hepatitis B, and how investments and treatments may need to vary across communities.

• The removal of health related data across federal agencies prevents physicians and hospitals from effectively serving their populations.

4. Government Efficiency is Impossible Without Good Data

Reliable and accurate data is critical for improving government efficiency. The removal of population data collections harms the effectiveness of public programs.

• Population data on language needs in rural counties helps emergency rooms run better. Translated documents reduce the likelihood of costly medical mistakes.
• Data on community health needs helps local governments better plan for staffing specialty care across various neighborhoods.

5. Data is Essential to Track and End Discrimination

Data on race, ethnicity, gender, disability and veteran status are critical to ensuring successful implementation of various anti-discrimination laws, including the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act to the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

• Federal agencies should be pushing for improvements in these data collections, including making them more timely and accessible to the public. 

6. Removing Public Data Amounts to Government Censorship

The Trump White House issued an executive order entitled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.” The executive order states, “Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society.” We agree. 

• Freedom of speech is critical to government accountability, civic engagement, and journalistic integrity.
• Data is foundational to these values as it enables an informed public discourse. The removal of data from federal government websites amounts to government censorship.

Simply put, good data is fundamental to upholding America’s success, its laws and its values. We are less safe as a nation when 8,000+ web pages and population health databases went missing across many federal agencies. 

Regardless of one’s political ideology, we must fight for the sanctity and integrity of good data. 

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Karthick Ramakrishnan is the founder and executive director of AAPI Data
Akil Vohra is the director of policy at AAPI Data