Quote Originally Posted by Arizonaman2008
Wow...I just read the entire survey and it is absolutely intrusive to your privacy. I can not believe we allowed this level of privacy intrusion to become law. I wonder how many people in elected office get this particular survey. What system do they use to determine who gets this survey?

This is the most intrusive survey I have ever seen.
You will be happy to know that a bill has been introduced (HR 3131) that will abolish penalties for not answering questions on the American Community Survey. The actual Census will not be affected if this bill passes. Although there are questions on the Census that we probably dont have to answer....but that is another bill not yet introduced.

For instance, phone number. The Census existed long before phones were invented, so I dont think this is one of the original questions. They dont need your name either....just to do a headcount. The numbers are the same with or without the name. They say they scrub this info anyway and just use the numbers, so I dont know why they collect it in the first place.

Birthdate? Why do they need the exact birthdate? That does not change the headcount. They should only be asking age, or year of birth. Do they leave the birthdate in the data? If they do then that along with place of employment would identify who you are. But they say the survey is scrubed of all identifying info. Do they scrub the birthdate? If they do then why collect it in the first place?

I think HR 3131 will pass because so many are outraged about this. And then there is the part where you have to give them personal medical information. Not only do you have to give them this info about yourself but about your roommates too!!! Is it even legal to give someone else's personal medical info to anyone? The requirement that you give out personal information about other HH members is particularly disturbing. You have to tell them when your roommate leaves for work? Where they work? How long? OMG. It is a double invasion of privacy because not only do they demand this info, but they demand it from your roommate who is not allowed to answer the questions themselves. The primary person in the HH MUST, under threat of penalty REPORT to the federal government, personal information about you....even medical info. Um...no...there is something fundamentally wrong with this.