In the 1960s and 1970s, the American Statistical Association (ASA), the federal statistical community, the U.S. Congress, and the general public debated the expanded data collection activities and analysis made possible by advances in statistical methodology and computer technology. A key element of that debate involved public concerns about threats of intrusive governance surveillance of individuals and their claim to privacy. Within ASA, two temporary committees addressed these matters, first in the early 1960s, and then in the mid-1970s. The 1970s committee recommended the association create a permanent committee, which it did, as the Committee on Privacy and Confidentiality in 1977. This paper provides an overview of the technical, political and administrative issues that arose from protecting the privacy and data confidentiality interests for data collection, research, and public release of information in the mid to late 20th century.