Privacy Issues and the 2010 US Census

Article by BPBS attorney Joseph B. Jaap (513) 533-2037

Because of the ready Internet availability of documents filed with various government agencies, a new Ohio law allows the Ohio Secretary of State to reject filing any document that contains a Social Security or Tax ID number. Local courts also have implemented policies of rejecting documents with private information, or limiting their Internet access.

The upcoming 2010 US Census also may raise privacy concerns. The 2020 census form will be mailed soon to all US households. The form has 10 questions to be completed and returned. A census worker may knock on your door for follow-up verification.

By law, the only information you are required to give is the number of residents in your household. But the census form asks much more that federal and state governments use for statistical purposes, tracking government programs, and more.

Although each census worker is screened and required to give an oath of confidentiality, some unscrupulous workers could slip through the process. And even the federal government has suffered breaches of its electronic databases, most recently with the release of private information about millions of veterans.

The first two questions on the census form ask the number of residents in the household on the census date, April 1, 2010, and any additional people staying there. That is the information you are required to give by law. The remainder of the form solicits additional information, including the names of the residents, sex, date of birth, race, phone number, and whether the residence is owned or rented. You are not required to give any of that private information. If any of that private information was inadvertently released, it could lead to identify theft and credit fraud.

Certainly the risk is low. But how much vital personal information are you willing to put in the mail or give to a stranger knocking on your door? A name, address, phone number, and date of birth are all an identity thief needs.

The Federal Trade Commission gives the following guidance on protecting yourself from identity theft and guarding your vital personal information:

• Review financial accounts and billing statements promptly upon receipt, looking for charges you did not make. Bogus charges must be reported quickly to avoid liability.
• Shred financial documents, statements, credit offers, and other documents with personal information.
• Don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write it on a check, and omit your SS number from your Driver’s License.
• Don't give out personal information through the mail or over the internet to an unverified site, or over the phone unless you initiated the call.
• Never click on links sent in unsolicited e-mails; instead, type in an internet address that you know is valid.
• Don't use an obvious password like your birth date, your mother's maiden name, or the last four digits of your SS number.
• Monitor your credit status annually by obtaining a free report once a year from each of the three major credit reporting services. (www.AnnualCreditReport.com)

Be proactive in protecting your identity. Identity theft can be expensive and time consuming to remedy.