Another Reason to Tear Up That Census Form

Jacob Sullum | January 20, 2004

The Washington Times reports that the National Aernonautics and Space Administration [sic] used supposedly confidential U.S. Census information on millions of Americans to construct an experimental anti-terrorist database. "Information given by American citizens for reasonable demographics information has been turned around and used to spy on people," says privacy advocate Bill Scannell. The ACLU's Barry Steinhardt calls the data disclosure "a major breach of trust."

It also seems to be a breach of the law, unless I'm missing a crucial exception somewhere.

Comments

|1.20.04 @ 1:02AM|#

Yep, back in 2000, I just gave the guy (a 20 yr. old college kid) my name and the name of the cat. I had to give him the low-down on what the Constitution says about it and how he and the US Govt don't need to know about my plumbing and political beliefs. Still, somehow, he didn't seem that happy about the time we spent together.

BTW, if I'da written the above paragraph at that time, people on this very web site would have remarked about my tinfoil hat and all, I guarantee ya. Don't say I didn't tell you. Well, yeah, I didn't, but that's because Joe would have called me names, waaah! Also, I had a real job back then, and was not posting here ;-}

|1.20.04 @ 1:17AM|#

The Constitution is pretty clear about what information the census takers are allowed to collect - number of people, their ages, and their race - nothing else is mentioned. Furthermore, the "race" is arguably obsolete now that the "3/5ths" rule has been amended - although it may still be necessary to count "Indians not taxed" if there actually are any.

Anyway, there was no reason to give detailed information or to tell them about the plumbing. Nobody was prosecuted for refusing this information - because that would have dragged the Constitutional issues into the open, and nobody wants that. The long form is, de facto and possibly de jure, optional. All they got out of me was White, 24, live alone. That's good enough for the Constitution, good enough for anybody.

If you went and told them how many toilets you have, and now are on the terrorist watch list because of it, I guess that's how it goes.

|1.20.04 @ 2:11AM|#

You all want to cut down the Congressional representation of libertarian-leaning regions, that's fine with me.

|1.20.04 @ 3:13AM|#

anyone else find it rather odd NASA was in charge of this, I mean the FBI, NSA, CIA would all make sense...but NASA makes about as much sense as assigning it to the DMV. Don't they have anything better to do, like maybe getting those moon base blueprints worked up...I want to go lunar prospecting before my hair is grey and having beauracratic putzes making new agencies isn't going to get that done any faster.

James Merritt|1.20.04 @ 3:13AM|#

Trollumination says, "If you went and told them how many toilets you have, and now are on the terrorist watch list because of it, I guess that's how it goes."

I wonder if the next form will include a question about how many almanacs you have in your residence?

|1.20.04 @ 5:03AM|#

You all want to cut down the Congressional representation of libertarian-leaning regions, that's fine with me.

Considering my legislative district has been represented by liberal Democrats for the last 50 years or so, I figure the less reps we get the better.

|1.20.04 @ 5:46AM|#

Trollumination said:

"Nobody was prosecuted for refusing this information - because that would have dragged the Constitutional issues into the open, and nobody wants that. The long form is, de facto and possibly de jure, optional."

Well, the guy that came for our long form was met with a refusal to fill it out, and a polite request for the short form. We were told this was not possible, we must fill out the long form. After several return visits with the same question and the same answer, the census worker actually said he would fill it out himself and submit it. I have no idea if he did this, if he did it was most certainly a fraudulent representation of me. He was literally open jawed at the concept that I would be more than willing to pay the $500 fine before i would fill out the information requested on that form.

BTW, great forum here, I just found it two days ago, and I'm relishing the ability to discuss my sometimes wacky points of view in a rational manner. I an somewhat of an oxymoron, a fundamental bible believing Christian, conservative fiscally and socially, who doesn't trust Bush as far as I could throw him, can't stand Jerry Faldwell / Pat Robertson etc, and is in favor of medical marijuana.

Glad to be on board. :>)

Lakeside104

|1.20.04 @ 7:41AM|#

welcome lakeside - an aside on NASA - did they come up with a solution to the water purification problem. A mission to mars would require hauling water, because they can't get from wastewater to potable (at least as of '96)

Warren|1.20.04 @ 9:41AM|#

"because they can't get from wastewater to potable (at least as of '96)"

Huh?? They've been doing it on submarines for decades. What's NASAs problem? Space? Mass? Power?

Unclaimed Mysteries|1.20.04 @ 9:46AM|#

I filled out the 2000 Census and put "Fullblood Yeti" as my ethnicity. This earned me two visits from a couple of young census workers, who said something like, uh, we don't have you as having completed your form, could you do it now? I told them I had just completed it and sent it in under the deadline.

Yes, it was potentially illegal to put "Fullblood Yeti" down on the form, but it was win-win IMO. If they did nothing, I had a good laugh and made a small point about how I object to being ethnically categorized. If they challenged me, I would ask them to prove me wrong by comparing my DNA to known Yeti DNA, thereby SMOKING OUT THEIR SECRET OF THE EXISTENCE OF ABOMINABLE SNOWMEN AMONG US!!!

Well worth a $500 fine don't you think?

|1.20.04 @ 12:25PM|#

"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration also obtained for its study the private information of hundreds of thousands of passengers flying Northwest Airlines, an action NASA denied to The Washington Times in September."

How about a little accountability when the gov't misinforms (read: lies) the public?

|1.20.04 @ 12:39PM|#

This is why I didn't fill out my recent census form, and won't sign up for any of the government sponsored "anti-marketing/spam" exclusion lists. It's also why I do not sign internet lobbying signature lists, especially the ones sent out with underlying social themes... ie "Christians for the reduction of porn" etc. What I do and don't stand for is none of the government's business. Same thing with taxes, I don't claim deductions on my charitable contributions, although they are well above the IRS deductible... who I support is none of their business.

Lakeside104

|1.21.04 @ 6:01AM|#

Computer programmers can be geeks; Electrical Engineers can possibly be geeks. Law Enforcement/Security people are not smart enough to be geeks.

And Joe, we gave out the information on how many people/cats are living at the residence. Is that not enough information to get proportional representation? How's the plumbing/race/intensity of menstrual period stuff factor in? I don't think it comes into the formula.

|1.21.04 @ 7:34AM|#

"anyone else find it rather odd NASA was in charge of this, I mean the FBI, NSA, CIA would all make sense..."

Yes. Who gave NASA this job and why, and why didn't the NASA administrators tell that person that they're aerospace geeks not law-enforcement/security geeks?