When the U.S. Census Bureau announced its intention to modernize its disclosure avoidance procedures for the 2020 Census, it sparked a controversy that is still underway. The move to differential privacy introduced technical and procedural uncertainties, leaving stakeholders unable to evaluate the quality of the data. More importantly, this transformation exposed the statistical illusions and limitations of census data, weakening stakeholders' trust in the data and in the Census Bureau itself. This essay examines the epistemic currents of this controversy. Drawing on theories from Science and Technology Studies (STS) and ethnographic fieldwork, we analyze the current controversy over differential privacy as a battle over uncertainty, trust, and legitimacy of the Census. We argue that rebuilding trust will require more than technical repairs or improved communication; it will require reconstructing what we identify as a 'statistical imaginary.'

翻译：当美国人口普查局宣布计划为2020年人口普查更新其披露避免程序时，引发了一场至今仍在持续的争议。向差分隐私的转变带来了技术与程序上的不确定性，导致利益相关方无法评估数据质量。更重要的是，这一转变暴露了人口普查数据的统计假象与局限性，削弱了利益相关方对数据及普查局本身的信任。本文通过科学技术研究（STS）理论与民族志田野调查，将当前关于差分隐私的争议解析为围绕人口普查不确定性、信任与合法性的博弈。我们认为，重建信任不仅需要技术修复或改进沟通，更需重构我们所界定的“统计想象”。