American Community Survey

Here is a letter I downloaded to respond to the outrageous intrusion of privacy, aka/the American Community Survey. If you have gotten one, please explain how this information is needed to count people?

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Director

US Census Bureau

PO Box 5240

Jeffersonville, IN 47199-5240

I have received your American Community Survey and I must say that it appears at first to be a classic example of Phishing for information to be used in Identity Theft. The only thing missing is a Nigerian postmark. But I understand that this is an actual request from our government!

I am a responsible citizen and willing to help the Census Bureau with the information it needs to make informed decisions. However, your survey is quite intrusive into specific information that should not be needed. And I cannot risk providing. My obligations and duty are to protect my family first, and to be a good citizen second.

You need to know how many persons are living in a household. I understand that. But you require the first name, last name, and middle initial of each person living there. This cannot be needed for census information. You need to know the age of each person, I understand that. But you require the actual birth dates of each person. This cannot be needed for census information. You need to know if each person is employed, I understand that. But you require that we provide the name and address of our employers. This cannot be needed for census information. You need to know certain information about commuting habits, I understand. But you ask what time each person leaves the house. This cannot be needed for census information. This would be great information for thieves to have. You also ask for a great deal of financial information. We provide this info each year to the IRS.

By cross-referencing this data you can create an almost complete identity profile. The only thing missing is the Social Security Number. But you probably ask for that in the follow up phone calls because you also require a phone number to contact. Other unscrupulous persons, not associated with the Survey could just call asking for this information to complete the survey. It is a given that they will. Because people, especially the old, trust the good will of the government. This survey is putting many people at risk.

Please don’t try to assure me how safe this information is in your hands. I am not impressed with the security skills of the public sector. Every act that creates something like the American Community Survey also contains provisions by which you are absolved of all responsibility for failure to protect this information. I have to provide the info, you don’t have to protect it. Only a very naive person would fill out this survey with all the risk associated with the need to protect personal security. Please don’t tell me that I will be fined for failure to participate. I doubt that you can really prosecute a person for an attempt to protect themselves. My reasons for withholding the information are valid. I am not convinced that your need for specific data is. Your envelope states that my response is required by law. Consider this letter my response. This response hereby fulfills my legal obligation.

After I print this I will be forwarding it to both my congress man/woman and my state representative.

Yours skeptically,

Windsor Vermont Resident