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1 [1] (April 4, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/csbudat0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Serve Inforrning the legislative debate since 1914 April 4, 2025 Census Bureau Data: Selected Access, Privacy, and Penalty Provisions in Titles 13 and 26, U.S. Code The Census Bureau collects and publishes data on various population and economic characteristics under the authority of Title 13 of the U.S. Code. Additionally, Section 61030) of Title 26 authorizes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to share certain information from federal tax returns with the Census Bureau. All of these data are collected from individuals, commercial entities, and governments across the United States and territories. Under Section 9 of Title 13, data collected by the Census Bureau are to be used solely for statisticalpurposes, which includes the description, estimation, or analysis of the characteristics of groups, without identifying the individuals or organizations that comprise such groups. Some of the data that the Census Bureau collects are considered personally identifiable information (PII) and business identifiable information (BII), which includes but is not limited to names, addresses, Social Security numbers, employer identification numbers, telephone numbers, email addresses, trade secrets, commercial information, and financial information. Much of the data collected during Census Bureau surveys are disseminated for public access in a digital format without identifying individuals. Federal law requires that PII and BII remain confidential. Confidentiality protections of Census Bureau data are found primarily in Sections 9 and 214 of Title 13, and also in Section 61030) of Title 26 as it pertains to tax information for statistical purposes. Data Access Generally, access to Census's restricted-use, confidential data is limited to Census Bureau and Department of Commerce personnel as detailed in Section 9 of Title 13. Section 6103(j)(1) of Title 26 permits the IRS to share federal tax return information with the Census Bureau only for structuring the census and conducting related statistical activities. Under Section 3583 of Title 44, the Census Bureau (and other agencies within the federal statistical system) permits researchers to access confidential data through a standard application process (SAP). Access under Title 13 The confidentiality of certain information collected by the Census Bureau is established in Section 9 of Title 13. Specifically, Section 9(a) states that the Secretary of Commerce, any officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or Census Bureau, or a local government liaison may not (1) use the information furnished under the provisions of this title for any purpose other than the statistical purposes for which it is supplied; or (2) make any publication whereby the data furnished by any particular establishment or individual under this title can be identified; or (3) permit anyone other than the sworn officers and employees of the Department or bureau or agency thereof to examine the individual reports. Individuals who are authorized to have access to confidential information are referred to in Section 214 of Title 13. Individuals with access generally include those who are an employee or staff member of the Census Bureau, who have taken and subscribed the oath of office or sworn to observe limitations imposed by section 9 of Title 13; or those who are a census liaison per Section 16 of Title 13. Under Section 214, these individuals (as well as former employees, staff members, and census liaisons) are prohibited from wrongfully disclosing confidential information from census respondents and are subject to penalties for doing so. Section 23 of Title 13 allows the Secretary to utilize temporary staff including employees of Federal, State, or local agencies or instrumentalities, and employees of private organizations to assist the Census Bureau in performing work authorized under Title 13, but only if such temporary staff swear to observe the confidentiality requirements of Section 9. Section 9 also prohibits census reports collected from individuals or establishments from being admitted as evidence or used for any purpose in any action, suit, or other judicial or administrative proceeding without their consent. Federal Statistical Research Data Centers Certain restricted-use data are accessible to researchers at Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDCs) established across the continental United States. FSRDCs are intended to serve as secure hubs for members of the public to access certain confidential information. In order to gain access to FSRDCs, researchers must complete a standard application process (SAP), which includes completing a background investigation and fingerprinting in order to obtain special sworn status (SSS). tcensus As part of the SAP, researchers must be associated with an approved project. According to the SAP portal, the access application process can take an expected 12 to 24 weeks for ittps://Crsreports.congress.gov 0

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