Public Management of Big Data: Historical Lessons from the 1940s

This article examines the use of Census Bureau data in 1942 to remove Japanese Americans to internment camps for the duration of World War II. Census data constituted the largest collection of data on Americans at that time. The article traces the extra-constitutional use of what we now refer to as...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Margo Anderson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Society for History in the Federal Government 2015-04-01
Series:Federal History
Subjects:
Online Access:http://shfg.org/shfg/publications/federal-history-journal/past-issues/issue-7-2015/
_version_ 1819174723995566080
author Margo Anderson
author_facet Margo Anderson
author_sort Margo Anderson
collection DOAJ
description This article examines the use of Census Bureau data in 1942 to remove Japanese Americans to internment camps for the duration of World War II. Census data constituted the largest collection of data on Americans at that time. The article traces the extra-constitutional use of what we now refer to as "Big Data." It draws on newly located documents showing Bureau transfer of information on Japanese Americans to the Army. This episode raises questions on confidentiality of information the protection of data, especially in times of national emergency.
first_indexed 2024-12-22T20:43:31Z
format Article
id doaj.art-d1536f1d5b2c4f3197c8291bd7d3cfdc
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2163-8144
1943-8036
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-22T20:43:31Z
publishDate 2015-04-01
publisher Society for History in the Federal Government
record_format Article
series Federal History
spelling doaj.art-d1536f1d5b2c4f3197c8291bd7d3cfdc2022-12-21T18:13:17ZengSociety for History in the Federal GovernmentFederal History2163-81441943-80362015-04-0171734Public Management of Big Data: Historical Lessons from the 1940sMargo Anderson0University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeThis article examines the use of Census Bureau data in 1942 to remove Japanese Americans to internment camps for the duration of World War II. Census data constituted the largest collection of data on Americans at that time. The article traces the extra-constitutional use of what we now refer to as "Big Data." It draws on newly located documents showing Bureau transfer of information on Japanese Americans to the Army. This episode raises questions on confidentiality of information the protection of data, especially in times of national emergency.http://shfg.org/shfg/publications/federal-history-journal/past-issues/issue-7-2015/Big DataCensus BureauJapanese American internmentFranklin RooseveltExecutive Order 9066
spellingShingle Margo Anderson
Public Management of Big Data: Historical Lessons from the 1940s
Federal History
Big Data
Census Bureau
Japanese American internment
Franklin Roosevelt
Executive Order 9066
title Public Management of Big Data: Historical Lessons from the 1940s
title_full Public Management of Big Data: Historical Lessons from the 1940s
title_fullStr Public Management of Big Data: Historical Lessons from the 1940s
title_full_unstemmed Public Management of Big Data: Historical Lessons from the 1940s
title_short Public Management of Big Data: Historical Lessons from the 1940s
title_sort public management of big data historical lessons from the 1940s
topic Big Data
Census Bureau
Japanese American internment
Franklin Roosevelt
Executive Order 9066
url http://shfg.org/shfg/publications/federal-history-journal/past-issues/issue-7-2015/
work_keys_str_mv AT margoanderson publicmanagementofbigdatahistoricallessonsfromthe1940s