One of the members of my online training posted some interesting screen captures to our private group, and authorized me to share them here. This person participates in surveys offered by the U.S. Census, and was surprised at the questions being asked. I typically avoid any types of surveys, as they can be an invasion of privacy, but this makes me think differently about future participation. What better way to know what your government is considering than to be asked your opinions about potential changes to procedures? Consider the first question of the survey, knowing that the Census is usually conducted via postal mail and direct physical visits.

This tells me that the Census is considering accessing IRS records to identify occupants of a home. This is not too shocking, and I am somewhat surprised they do not already access IRS data. I am not in favor of this, but this is the least of my worries since I do not file my federal taxes under my home address.

This tells me that the Census is considering accessing Social Security records to identify occupants of a home. This is also not too shocking, and I am equally surprised they do not already access SSA data. I am also not in favor of this, but this is no concern to me or my clients. If you associate your true name to your home address for federal government programs, you should not expect any privacy from Census records.

This one hits closer to home. Most of us are deeply exposed within credit reports, and I would hate to see that become the data populating Census records. However, it gets worse...

The previous questions simply asked for an opinion. This one clearly states that the Census Bureau is PLANNING to use information from PRIVATE companies for Census fulfillment. We have no idea which companies are being considered, but we can be assured that the relationship will be two-way sharing. Not only will a private company populate Census records, but they will also likely receive all available information from the Census to abuse on their own.

We are now being informed that the Census may just forgo the mail or visit options altogether and rely solely on inaccurate and outdated details provided through the previous avenues. However, the following is the true concern.

This confirms that the Census Bureau is considering tracking your cellular telephone location history to identify the members of a household. I am often ridiculed for placing my (anonymous) mobile phone into a Faraday bag before arriving anywhere near my home. Maybe I am not crazy after all.