Two

Well he is the right age for Jedi training.

Jedi FTW.

Mark

I would have thought EU law would prevent such a disclosure TBH - the data is in the European Union, and is therefore subject to EU privacy safeguards.

Yes, but the Americans have scary bombs and stuff. They're world renowned for being psychopathic enough to use them. Being right is small comfort when you've been blown into a billion pieces, so most people surrender their principles to the self-proclaimed "world police" on demand.

"You have 5 seconds to comply"

The actual issue is that under the terms of The Patriot Act, a US company can be compelled to hand over personal data in it's possession and also be disallowed from revealing they have done so. So you'll have a US company faced with either breaking the law in the US, or breaking the law in the EU in a way that it would be very hard for anyone in the EU to find out about. Hmm... wonder which way that's going to go...

I'm not sure they'd be anything of interest to anyone about the data captured about me in the census. In fact you'd probably find more by googling my name.

I'm not exactly going to get up in arms about it tbh.

I am concerned because of the privacy issues with a US company doing it. Though as you say I am also not that worried about my personal data that it might divulge. It will be identical to the previous census form I filled.

I don't exactly recall the 2001 census questions, but I'm pretty sure they didn't want to know my qualifications, my salary, whether I'm looking for work or not. It seems they want to know a good deal more about me than just my nationality (English is now an option, which is nice), where I live, what I do for a living, and how long I've been here.

It may well all be perfectly innocuous, but I am not keen on sharing more information than I have to. Besides, if they only wanted to know, all the above info is online somewhere, or with HMRC.

*BUMP*

Well, there isn't much wiggle room, to be honest.

However, it does appear that a significant minority of those who complete the census forms use bogus information. In other words, if you're not happy about the intrusive nature, make sh!t up. Even your name and age, if you want.

There are other cases I've found where folk have literally just thrown the thing away. For over four decades. With no comeback. Maybe they've just been lucky. Putting "Human Being" for nationality also seems to vex the authorities!

Here's the ONS report on the aftermath of the 2001 census.

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001 ... ancees.asp

So, I'm not sure quite how we're going to sidestep the intrusiveness of the questions.

For information, here are links from the ONS census site to PDFs showing the questions they're going to ask in England and Wales. I can't find the Scottish and NI ones at the moment.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-censu ... ngland.pdf
http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-censu ... -wales.pdf

*strokes imaginary beard*

Interesting..

That needs to be a hashtag too.

I think in questions 15 & 16, I’ll be writing European.

Question 17, I’ll be writing "Trumpton”.

How can a child of that age have a faith or a religion? A child could be classified as a “child of a Catholic” or a “child of a muslim” but until that child is capable of making the decision for him or herself, I’d argue that the child has no faith or belief at all. A two year old will be hardly aware of the larger world around it outside of the family home and various aunts, uncles and grandparents.

You could really have a lot of fun with most of the questions.



About 43, except on Thursdays when it's 71.



It depends on how many Brooklyn can break into on a given day.



I have a tree house I ship out to when life indoors gets on top of me. The birdsong is soothing.



Until I'm fed into the local crematorium, probably.



Mustn't grumble. Just the odd twinge on the left knee, and a bit of rheumatism after standing at the bus stop for the number twelve.



Bajoran.



Mainly Anglo-Saxon with some Celt, Roman, and hints of Jute and Dane. Possibly a bit of Pomeranian, too.



Like my mind, after a Friday night out.



Unwinese. Mostly. Deep folly.



Can you repeel the questibole, please, oh yes?



To you, madam.



Many, but none of them mine.

I could go on, but I won't.