Are there any laws which would prevent Census data from being abused?
Several laws have been implemented which should prevent the abuse of Census information.5 Indeed, it is generally illegal to use Census data for anything other than statistical purposes.6 These laws exist in part due to a variety of civil liberties-related concerns. For example, many people unequivocally oppose the inclusion of any question relating to religious affiliation or belief, whether on a compulsory or voluntary basis on First Amendment grounds, and believe that even the expression of government interest in the religious activities of the population is an intrusion into the province of religious privacy. (See U.S. CONST., Amend. I.) In fact, it is illegal for the Federal government to ask such questions on census forms. (See 13 U.S.C. ยง 221(c).) Similarly, many experts have suggested that answers to questions on race and ethnicity be voluntary unless the data is assembled in a manner which protects the privacy of individuals by separating the racial or ethnic information from
