SIDS seeks out the poorest in Coahuila; INEGI did not provide its data | Periódico Zócalo | News from Saltillo, Torreón, Piedras Negras, Monclova, Acuña

The Secretariat of Coahuila has requested from INEGI precise addresses of individuals living in extreme poverty in order to allocate resources, but data confidentiality prevents obtaining them. In light of this restriction, local authorities must collaborate with mayors to manually identify these dispersed families, taking advantage of the fact that the survey provides percentage breakdowns by municipality without revealing individual locations. This situation illustrates a critical challenge in open data: the tension between statistical transparency and privacy protection. While aggregated data allow for the identification of areas of need, the lack of individual georeferenced information hinders the direct implementation of public policies, forcing governments to seek alternative, less efficient methods to reach the most vulnerable populations. The article is relevant to the open data movement because it demonstrates that the publication of aggregated statistics, although valuable, is insufficient if not accompanied by mechanisms that allow access to microdata under strict anonymization protocols. Without these tools, the capacity of governments to act precisely on social deficiencies is severely limited, highlighting the need for frameworks that balance public utility and individual rights.

Source: zocalo.com.mx
Published on 2026-10-20

SIDS seeks out the poorest in Coahuila; INEGI did not provide its data | Periódico Zócalo | News from Saltillo, Torreón, Piedras Negras, Monclova, Acuña

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