He plans to obtain the newest census data and will incorporate it with other public records and information he has collected to create computer population models. Nunley once had a client who wanted to do a direct mailing to everyone in the Kansas City metropolitan area who wears eyeglasses. Missouri not only compiled a list from Department of Motor Vehicle records that gave the addresses of everyone required to wear glasses when driving, the state even came down in price when Nunley said it was charging too much. But Kansas is among the states where it is illegal to use state lists for marketing purposes. It wouldn't provide a list like the one Missouri compiled, and the client ended up sending out 10 times as much mail on the Kansas side of the border.
Unintended consequences are of course a real problem for any government agency trying to write laws.
Nunley conceded that those who believe the detailed census information is an invasion of privacy have a legitimate case. The Census Bureau does a really outstanding job of disclosing information in such a way that it protects privacy as much as possible. At the same time, our ability has improved to better use the data to figure out which home fits a certain criterion. We have so much greater access to data that privacy is much more threatened than ever. It's a genuine concern.