Some of this data is used by the government to justify its various methods of taking wealth from some people and redistributing it to others, the Cato Institute says. Thus, people with too many bathrooms may have to subsidize people who do not have enough bathrooms. Most of this is information the government can get by other means, such as polls and surveys, if it truly is needed for any legitimate purpose. There is no real need to obtain it with link it to a citizen's name and address. While the census has a good track record of keeping the information it collects secure from prying eyes, that may not always be the case.
Every census there are grumbles about privacy, usually from Libertarians.
This year, there seem to be more than usual. That may reflect a growing nervousness about a loss of privacy, which probably will only increase as government databases swell in size and the Internet quietly collects tidbits about individuals. We don't believe the founding fathers even intended to use the enumeration of the population as a method of collecting detailed information about every American. The census director says it is your civic duty to fill out the census forms. But how much of the form you fill out is strictly your business.