Census 2020 FAQ's

Concerns About Confidentiality

Will My Census Information Be Kept Confidential?

There is extremely strong data confidentiality in federal law. Data can only be used for statistical analysis

• Individual records can’t be shared with:
  • Other federal agencies (ex: ICE, FBI, DHS)
  • State or local governments
  • The public

• Wrongful disclosure by a Census Bureau employee can lead to $250,000 fine, up to 5 years prison, or both.
• These protections are in federal law, and cannot be changed by the Trump Administration.

Confidentiality Scenarios

I don’t trust census confidentiality laws.

• These laws are very strong and have been in place for many decades.
• The Trump Administration cannot change these laws.
• In the past, when agencies have improperly requested census information, the Census Bureau refused to do share it.

My [sister, grandfather, roommate] is undocumented, will they be deported if responding to the census?

• The Census Bureau cannot share your personal information with ICE.
• Additionally, government agencies are forbidden from using individual census responses against people.

Didn’t the government use census data to go after people in the past?

• The government did improperly use census data to locate people during WWII. The laws were different at the time.
• Title 13 was strengthened after WWII.
• Civil rights attorneys & advocates are closely monitoring for wrong-doing.

I’m still not comfortable including all my family members / roommates on the census. Can I submit a partial response?

• It is important to count everyone in your household!
• If you are not comfortable counting everyone, count as many people as you are willing to include.

Source: acgov.org/census2020

Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QAC's)

The Civic Center, Rincon and Springtown libraries serve as Livermore's Questionnaire Assistance Centers. QAC's are designed to:

• Direct people to the Census questionnaire.
• Answer resource and information-based questions.
• Provide language assistance.
• Provide digital-literacy assistance.

Civic Center Library
1188 S. Livermore Avenue
Rincon Library
725 Rincon Avenue
Sprintown Library
998 Bluebell Drive

For more information, see the Livermore Public Library website.

Additional Resources

County, state and federal websites are available for more information regarding the 2020 Census.

Alameda County Census 2020
California Census 2020
U.S. Census 2020