Public data is disappearing or being manipulated, which strands CIOs on a shifting information landscape where internal data may be their only lifeline.

While data manipulation is a timeless tale in politics, this year the U.S. government accelerated efforts to manipulate publicly accessible data. Even seemingly nonpolitical and innocuous data, such as climate and weather records, economic indicators and scientific research, were scrubbed or tilted toward one bias or another. This is a much bigger problem than some may realize. 

For example, in early 2025, the U.S. government removed thousands of datasets and web pages, according to The New York Times, across agencies such as the EPA, NOAA, and CDC, effectively scrubbing key sources of climate, health, and environmental justice data from the public record. It was a serious and appalling move that continues to pose substantial risks for the private sector and individuals alike. Organizations depend on public data to function, and the public needs to know their risks in climate disasters, spreading communicable diseases, and economic factors like unemployment and inflation rates.