by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Despite all the reassurances of confidentiality given by the census organizers in the adverts and such, the Office of National Statistics may lawfully disclose census data in conditions including police investigation
Data collected in the 2011 UK census may not be as confidential as the Office of National Statistics claims, says a data protection expert.
The ONS, which operates the census, says on its website that the data will remain confidential for 100 years.
However, the director at data protection and privacy training provider Amberhawk, points out that the census data is in fact subject to the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
This act contains a clause stating that the ONS may disclose data under a number of conditions, including disclosures that are "made for the purposes of a criminal investigation"; "made in pursuance of an order of a court"; or "made to an approved researcher”.
Please note that “an approved researcher” may also get all of the data that we, by law, have to supply in the census forms to the ONS.
A if it would not be bad enough that the census is, in fact, being conducted on behalf of the ONS by Lockheed-Martin, a major US defense contractor who also, more than likely, can retain the data for their own uses, now we find out that the data can, in fact, be used by “approved researchers” and that would, more than likely include the likes of YouGov® and Mori.
The law permits the board governing the ONS to disclose data if it wants. The current board may say that no data will be disclosed, but the law says that it can be. What happens when the board members change or when approaches are made to them that they cannot refuse?
The clause in question is a serious hangover from the previous government's absolute disdain for personal privacy. It is not a clause to protect confidentiality but it is a clause to remove that confidentiality.
Brilliant, isn't it? And we find that out now where so many of us, myself included, have already followed the letter of the law and have filled in and even sent off our forms.
I must say that, has I known the issues surrounding the 2011 census, from the non-existent privacy provisions to the fact that Lockheed-Martin runs the census on behalf of the ONS and thus the government, I might have considered not to fill in the form at all.
The British government, regardless of what color the parties maybe, can simply not ever, it would appear, be trusted and most of what it says is but lies. When will the people realize that that is so and demand a real change in the way this country is being governed?
© 2011
