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Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

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Re: Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

#71

Post by Ayyninymous223 »

mateo1 wrote: post #65
fuckcensorship wrote: post #2

I have similar hesitations about registering to vote in my state (North Carolina) because it makes voter record data available to “Any person upon request and for a fee. Free lists are provided upon request to political parties.” [1]. My name, address, etc. ended up on dozens of sketchy websites after registering to vote previously. Privacy conscious legislation can’t come soon enough. [1]: https://www.ncsl.org/resea…

Some data have to be public for them to be audited by multiple independent parties. It is absolutely necessary for democracy to function. I don't see what harm can be done by someone knowing your name and address.

No post body was provided.

Re: Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

#72

Post by giaour »

nobody9999 wrote: post #37
gruez wrote: post #10

>Private companies are already scrutinizing your purchase patterns to determine that you are pregnant and then potentially getting in hot water for notifying relatives you haven’t actually informed. >Given that baseline reality, compromising the usefulness of Census data for the sake of minimal privacy gains seems really bad. The difference is that you can opt out of various companies collecting data. Can you opt out…

>The difference is that you can opt out of various companies collecting data. Can you opt out of the census? I'm going to assume that this isn't a rhetorical question. Yes. Just don't fill out the form. And if the Census folks send folks to your house, you can pretend not to be home, politely ask them to leave, or in states that allow it, shoot such trespassers dead . In fact, I'd prefer it if those who live in areas…

Technically, failure to respond to the census is punishable by a fine of $100, but this is rarely (if ever) enforced.

After a certain number of tries without getting a response, census takers are supposed to impute how you would have responded and use that.

Re: Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

#73

Post by parkingrift »

pueblito wrote: post #63
parkingrift wrote: post #44

Can someone explain to me why we need the census at all? Why are we actively pretending that the federal government doesn't have precise estimates for where people live?

It’s a constitutional requirement, Article 1 section 2

That section just explains that the count should be updated every ten years, among other things. It doesn't say we need some useless government organization to spend billions of dollars to tell the federal government what they already know. We just simply need to update the count of free persons. That's it.

Re: Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

#74

Post by bigyellow »

DiggyJohnson wrote: post #19
bigyellow wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where is that definition from? I couldn't find it in DSM-5. Also, why is the Census (or any collective action) more important than an individual's subjective view of privacy (or any private thought)?

> Where is that definition from? I couldn't find it in DSM-5. The term defines itself. I assume you understand what is meant by Privacy Derangement Syndrome, something like: valuing privacy above all other virtues. For example, somebody who refuses to use a mobile phone due to iOS privacy concerns, and falls out of touch with family and friends. But I don't even really appreciate this point even as a joke. The idea t…

The true derangement is using iOS in spite of abuse just to stay in touch with family and friends.

Re: Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

#75

Post by bagacrap »

mateo1 wrote: post #65
fuckcensorship wrote: post #2

I have similar hesitations about registering to vote in my state (North Carolina) because it makes voter record data available to “Any person upon request and for a fee. Free lists are provided upon request to political parties.” [1]. My name, address, etc. ended up on dozens of sketchy websites after registering to vote previously. Privacy conscious legislation can’t come soon enough. [1]: https://www.ncsl.org/resea…

Some data have to be public for them to be audited by multiple independent parties. It is absolutely necessary for democracy to function. I don't see what harm can be done by someone knowing your name and address.

spoken like a person with a common name and/or no mortal enemies

Re: Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

#76

Post by omg_ponies »

8note wrote: post #54
fitblipper wrote: post #6

I hate the argument this blog uses. Just because your data is available and abused through websites A, B, and C doesn't mean you should add your private data to site D. If I'm trying to avoid catching Covid-19 by limiting exposure but have to go the the grocery story, the doctors, and the gas station it doesn't mean I should also go to a music concert since I'm already unable to avoid exposure.

i dont think thats a comparable case. the avaiable and abusd would mean you caught and recovered from covid via the grocery store, and youre avoiding future exposure from the music concert while already immune

It's a nearly perfect comparison IMO. Risk is cumulative, and the number of risk-inducing events affects the outcome. Your response incorrectly assumes that the risk has already been realised.

Re: Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

#77

Post by kQq9oHeAz6wLLS »

throwaway9980 wrote: post #16
fuckcensorship wrote: post #2

I have similar hesitations about registering to vote in my state (North Carolina) because it makes voter record data available to “Any person upon request and for a fee. Free lists are provided upon request to political parties.” [1]. My name, address, etc. ended up on dozens of sketchy websites after registering to vote previously. Privacy conscious legislation can’t come soon enough. [1]: https://www.ncsl.org/resea…

I feel the same way about donating to political campaigns. It’s just not worth it considering that that information is then public record and could be used against you in all sorts of ways. Perhaps I will feel different when I’m older and of I’ve enough money that I no longer need to worry about damaging my job prospects. Maybe it would make it ok to donate if you also found a likable person on the other side to give…

This is a bit of a catch-22. On the one hand, I very much want to know to whom the politicians owe their allegiance to. But, like you, I don't necessarily want the world to know whom I choose to donate to.

I believe small, cash-only donations are anonymous. So that might be a good way.

Re: Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

#78

Post by kodah »

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #52
fuckcensorship wrote: post #2

I have similar hesitations about registering to vote in my state (North Carolina) because it makes voter record data available to “Any person upon request and for a fee. Free lists are provided upon request to political parties.” [1]. My name, address, etc. ended up on dozens of sketchy websites after registering to vote previously. Privacy conscious legislation can’t come soon enough. [1]: https://www.ncsl.org/resea…

When I updated my address for voter registration a couple of years ago, I noticed my phone number was wrong so I updated it too. Huge mistake. I rarely received spam texts or telemarketer calls and now I receive both constantly. It started just a couple of months after the change. Even without those two annoyances, the political spam texts are nightmarish. They're basically DDOS attacks because the lists are distribu…

> Even without those two annoyances, the political spam texts are nightmarish.

This was one of the biggest shocks I had moving to California. I eventually got fed up and actually replied telling them never to text me again and someone actually replied. That was when I learned that real people are on the other end of these things. It made it even creepier that my phone number was handed out, not to a machine, but to a real person.

Re: Privacy concerns are breaking the Census

#80

Post by parkingrift »

spicyusername wrote: post #47
parkingrift wrote: post #44

Can someone explain to me why we need the census at all? Why are we actively pretending that the federal government doesn't have precise estimates for where people live?

> have precise estimates for where people live? The census is how they have that estimate...

Do you really, seriously, believe that the intelligence agencies in the United States use the census for their population estimates?
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