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> No one can ever work on a national census again, or demography surveys. Many countries actually put strict restrictions on the data that can be gathered in a
by scarmig 10y ago
> No one can ever work on a national census again, or demography surveys.
Many countries actually put strict restrictions on the data that can be gathered in a national census, for just that reason of fear of being used for repression and division. See: France.
Not that that strategy has been particularly successful in France's case.
- idlewords 10y agoThe US census also has very strong legal protections, and an institutional culture that will go to the mat for privacy. Contrast this with Facebook, which collects much more data than the census, and is completely unregulated.
- scarmig 10y agoTo be clear, I think it's useful to collect racial and religious information in a national census. It's been critical in enforcing civil rights and equal representation. American institutions around freedom of religion and the right of privacy are key to keeping national censuses forces for good instead of tools for oppression. We should do whatever we can to maintain strong, healthy American institutions that protect freedom of religion.