NO2ID

Hi,
re: the 2011 census, I realize that it has to be filled in by law, am I allowed to state in the "fill-in" boxes the following:

"sorry, this information is private & due to Data Protection Laws I am not allowed to pass that information on to you"

is this possible?

can we do this?

what is the legal position on this?

Please reply, thanks.

regards

No, sorry. That's nonsense.

(1) Data protection law applies when you process other people's personal information, not to what you do with your own.
(2) The census legislation would be sure to override data protection laws: if the law says explicitly that you must give some information, then data protection cannot prevent it.

In theory it is a criminal offence to fail to answer or to give false answers. In practice there were only 38 prosecutions last time, and according to some sources those were ones in which people went out of the way to abuse census workers.

(We would strongly recommend that however rude you are about the census itself, that you treat the people involved with courtesy.)

Thanks for that, how about:
"I do not want to reply,
I value my privacy,
this information is held elsewhere,
mind your own business,

or any combination of the above.

In short I want to be in a position to give as little away as possible, yes I will be polite to census workers, I will however question their code of ethics, why are you working for a monstrous invasion of privacy.

the prosecutions you mentioned, was anybody prosecuted for "wrong" answers? ie: where do you work? answer cloud cuckoo land.

cheers,

I think it is more likely that you would be prosecuted by returning the form with obviously wrong answers than by not returning it at all.

This is a sensible answer. Why draw attention to yourself by breaking the law and being prosecuted?The case against filling in the census for many people is that it is being carried out by a controversial US arms company Lockheed. And that under section three the data can be shared to validated organisations. In other words it will go straight from Lockeed computers to the CIA the Security Service or any other spook organisation.The answer for those who don't want their private data used in this way is to seek out a legal way of avoidance. If I hop on the ferry and spend census night at my cousins house in Dublin does that exclude me? If I tour the lake district and sleep in my camper van... or even keep driving, I will not be residing at an address where I can register to fill it in. What then?

Does either of the above exclude me? And if enough people make a nonsense of the non-provable questions -Religion....Jedi, Address.... Campsite in Cumbria. The census will have been rendered pointless.

Any Legal suggestions welcome.

I too wish there were a legal way of avoiding it - but it looks from Guy's reply that breaking the law is the only way to avoid completing the census. So far as I can see Guy Herbert has given as definitive an answer on the question of legal avoidance of the census as we are likely to get, that it is illegal not to answer questions "in theory" (which I take to mean it's illegal but likely not enforced) but that on previous experience anyone failing to send in the form is unlikely to be prosecuted.

NO2ID used to recommend compliance with the law. The response on this question is curiously vague, which I take to mean NO2ID has actually shifted - without actually recommending breaking the law NO2ID is tacitly encouraging it by such wording.

Unless someone says otherwise, of course.

Peaceful civil disobedience is always a legitimate choice especially where no harm will be caused to other living beings, though obviously there are matters of consequences and ability to cope with them that have to be taken into mature consideration.

If you black out the bar codes at the bottom of the pages or even just fill in some of the white spaces, they will be unable to scan the forms properly. The thicker the pen you use to fill in the form, the harder it becomes to read. If the data has to be entered by hand, it will cost Lockheed Martin more than they have budgeted.

It may not protect your data, but the more expensive we make it for them to process that data, the less profit they can make. It may not be ideal, but we can try to make it as unnatractive a proposition as possible for companies that might want to tender for the job in the future.

The Grumpy Old Sod mentions How to Fill In Your Census Form without Lockheed Martin Profiting (long version) which is quite interesting!

mb

I can't remember the last time I filled in a census form. Plus I usually manage to avoid census workers as I don't answer the door to cold callers anyway .
The only time I got nabbed, I explained (politely) that it was against my priciples to fill it in. She warned me that I could be prosecuted. To which I replied that was their choice. She muttered something about putting me down as a 'no show' and I never heard anything else.
Does anyone have any figures for the 'refuseniks'? I've heard 3,000,000 and 37,000 to check up. So do the math.
Whatever - it would be useful if those who are holding out could post their experiences.

Had a census bod loudly banging at the door this morning, almost mistook him for the postman, what's it with the Royal Mail coloured florescent bib and postman's trousers. Anyway, we weren't in , so of he toddled

8 o'clock too, so he must have been keen

Wow 8am?
Sneaky.....

Latest stats 7 million households not returned forms, 29,000 collectors.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12981374
That's over 200 visits each. Possibly a lot more, taking into account repeat visits. I wonder if they have a cut off date?

Yes, 8am the sneaky so-and-so We were waiting for a Royal Mail parcel too and I had one hand on the door-handle, then I had another look and thought: "something doesn't look quite write about this character" , and then I noticed that his "sack" didn't appear to have Royal Mail livery, so we went out for the day. These pallid characters must rise from the grave at first light.

I have heard rumours of TV Licensing misrepresenting themselves on the door-step by dressing like postmen, whatever. And I do recall a visit from them at a similarly unearthly hour, well, we were "out" at the time, but you know what I mean, besides we don't have a TV , but that is another whole "non-compliance" story.

The "non-compliance officers" (the goons who will be "authorised" to "interview you under caution" will be doing their rounds from 26 April 2011 to 12 August 2011; no idea what happens after that - if anything.

I've had a quick read through Section 8 of the 1920 Census Act which ONS quote for the requirement to fill in the census. It only says you have to answer the questions and that you have to answer them truthfully, it doesn't say how you have to answer them. Where it asked questions to which they already have the answer, I answered the question by telling them which government department already has the information. They've asked a question, I've answered it truthfully. As far as I'm concerned, that's compliance with the law.

If you happen to get caught out and are unfortunate enough to open the door to a "brownshirt" they will note down your appearance details... for I presume "evidence" Be careful!

Today I had my second visit at around 7pm
The first time it was mid afternoon and I was in the back garden, this time I was asleep on the sofa and woken up by loud banging. Don't know whether they went somewhere else but I got another set of loud knocking 5-10 minutes later. I know it was them as I later found their calling card in the letterbox.
Shame I missed them. sigh...

Best thing to do is to just to ignore the fookers, that way they can't take down anything to use in "evidence". They have no more authority than a double-glazing salesman.

I'll give them a census form when they take it from my cold, dead hands

No Contact!
No Comment!
Don't open your door to them!

Ignore them!

I live in a rural spot where it would be very difficult for them to lie in wait (should they get that desperate). Also it can't be very convenient for them having to keep coming out .
I'm feeling a bit cowardly in all of this though. Credit to those who are openly and publically saying 'no' and taking a stand.

This whole business is distinctly odd.
They threaten you with prosecution and a £1000 fine if you don't return the form, but there's no final date when the form MUST be returned.
So if I fill the form in, get witnesses to cofirm I've filled the form in, but just don't get round to returning it?

There's a PDF of the enforcement procedure floating about on the web, from a reply to a freedom of information query, and it looks seriously dodgy. Sending operatives round to interview you under the PACE act?

I had no TV, and no license for years, and TV licensing sent threats every month that they would do just that. And the way to deal with that was to say nothing to the "inspectors" other than "go away", or words to that effect. Not my job to prove i don't need a licence, let them waste postage with futile threats.
The interview was solely to obtain a "confession" that would stand up legally in court (in conformance with PACE), and this census enforcement sounds just the same. Say nothing, DON'T say the word r*f*s*, sign nothing, don't let them in the house, and see if the they are really planning to initiate a denial of service attack on the British court system by attempting to bring hundreds of thousands of futile prosecutions.
Or they can proceed as usual (see the FOI reply) and just make up crap for the missing forms.

Sorry, my mistake
should be:
They threaten you with prosecution and a £1000 fine if you don't fill in the form, but there's no final date when the form MUST be returned.

You got a direct link to this FOI pdf Euonymous, done a few seconds searching and can't find it this bit about making up crap for the missing forms sounds downright sinister We will have to wait to see how this all plays out when the Goon Squad Mk II begin doing their rounds this Tuesday 26th April

I assume that they mean before the next one is due in 10 years time Gives us plenty of time to get scribbling where is me crayon