Minister 'pretty confident' US govt won't get your 2011 census data

[muriel_volestrangler]

It's OK, really - she's "extremely anxious" that it doesn't happen, and there's "no evidence" that the Patriot Act hasn't been used to get foreign data through US companies. Because, of course, the US intelligence agencies are always open about what they've done. I mean, they told us when they were waterboarding people, and they told us about the secret prisons in Europe, and they told us about the illegal phonetapping in the US, and they ... oh.

I normally think it's a civic duty to fill out the census truthfully. But with Lockheed Martin possibly getting their hands on the data, I think that obligation has gone out of the window. If someone wants to lie to stop the US government hassling them, they'd have the right.

Census data security fear denied

US authorities will not be able to see data covering all UK households even if a US defence giant wins the contract to run the 2011 census, a minister says.

The US Patriot Act allows personal data held by companies in the US to be made available to intelligence agencies.

But Treasury Minister Angela Eagle told MPs the government had received legal assurances this would not happen if Lockheed Martin wins the census bid.
...
Asked whether there would be a clause in the contract forbidding personal information being sent out of the UK at all, she said she would write to the committee in confidence.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7231186.stm

Because if she said "no, there won't be a clause preventing it" openly, there'd be an outcry. Her silence means the data will exit the UK.

[moggie]

1. My area was included in last year's dry run

Normally, I'd have been happy to participate, but I don't like the Lockheed Martin connection, so I joined the boycott. I'm glad to say that not one household in my block returned the form (participation is not legally required in census exercises, unlike in the real thing).

[D-Notice]

2. On the plus side

there isn't much data you legally need to provide. Last time you only had to give name, sex, DoB & marital status; everything else was optional.