The census and the US government being able to access info

[AbsDuCroissant]

According to this the information is being gathered by a US firm called Lockhead Martin, on behalf of ONS.
What freaks me out is this:
"Lockheed Martin ? which does 80% of its work for the US defence department ? assists more than two dozen American government agencies and is involved in surveillance and data processing for the CIA and FBI. It has controversially provided private contract interrogators to the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. All US-based companies are subject to the Patriot Act, which allows the US government to have access to any data in the company's possession. Campaigners have warned this could give the US government access to detailed and personal data on the UK's entire population"

Anyone heard of this? I'm now less enthusiastic about filling it in.

I'm sure if they were going to do it they'd have done it when they were involved in 2001..........

Are they actually a US based company that are doing it - I understood it was Lockheed Maring Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin - have no idea what the rules are on UK companies that are owned by American ones ,

AFAIK they are just organizing the collection of it and will not have sight of the information, that will all go to the office of national statistics, so the American Government couldn't get it even if they asked.

I think they're doing all the number crunching and analysis on their already set up computer systems - I now Capita (oh yes - that imcompetnent bunch of twits) are the ones that are doing the initial chasing up of forms.........eeek

i have nothing to hide...

Love ya Barack,I've even read your autobiog and all that,lol!

Data capture is covered by the Census (Confidentiality) Act 1991 and information is not allowed to leave the Office for National Statistics as per the Public Records Act 1958. BaroqueAroundTheClock is right about the company being UK based and therefore the rights of US government access to data do not apply.

Be less enthusiastic by all means but don't let scaremongers stop you from completing the form. It's a legal obligation.

If the Guardian's going to go scare mongering then it needs to pull it's socks up and do some research.

Lockheed Martin UK are the company involved, and their a British based company, so the Patriot Act doesn't apply.

Furthermore they might be supplying the systems that do the processing but they themselves won't then be doing any processing. Canon have supplied my printer, it doesn't mean they have access to what I do with it.

So two important facts that the Guardian missed out in their hurry to be the new Daily Mail with a "fear everything" story.

A) It's not an American based company.
B) They won't actually see any data.

However they are a part of the same money chain as a weapons company, which might be a valid cause for some to object. But at least the previous Government were trying to get value for money.

I knew I'd get sensible answers from MN

I'm not sure though about the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Adequate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (I love the full name, they must have spent days on it) only applying to US registered entities - in my experience of US law, they do like to draft pretty widely. For example, if a foreign bank with a US branch trades in dollars with Cuba (not touching the US branch), they do have the power to prosecute. Same with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The US government does not let a small thing like "not being registered in the US" get in the way of interfering.

Will have more of a read of the USA PATRIOT Act and see if it could be applied to subs of US companies.

Well, if the CIA really want to know my house has gas central heating, three bedrooms, I consider myself 'British' and I'm in good health, they can be my guest... I'm sure they have better things to think about.

Chil

Damn better not write that I'm islamic on the thing.

It's none of there damn business UK information should stay in the UK I don't care if they are just using PC power to count up numbers it's data on UK citizens and the US has no right to have anything to do with it without express permission of those who's data it is.

Ryoko - I think it Is staying in the UK - afaik the computer systems that they are using are in their UK Ltd company.

Chil - "they can be my guest" and if they are on the 27th you can tell them about it...

I share your worries OP and there are lively threads on the politics section discussing this but don't expect much empathy on MN. Most on here think it's perfectly fine n dandy to have a foreign arms manufaturer behind the census. It's not. And most seem to have a touching faith in military-industrial US behemoths joined at the hip to the CIA and what they do with their data. How quaint.

"And most seem to have a touching faith in military-industrial US behemoths joined at the hip to the CIA and what they do with their data"

Whereas others think everything with a USA or military connection is automatically sinister and would be hyperventilating about this issue, regardless of who was in charge of data collection. The same company that has been commissioned to provide this service also provide the Royal Navy with Merlin helicopters and does work on address recognition with the Royal Mail.

Just coz they're involved in other stuff doesn't make their sinister shenanigans acceptable. What about the Trident missiles, cluster bombs, supply of interrogators (read:torturers) etc?

And their connection to Royal Mail should set alarm bells ringing too IMO.

You have no evidence (and neither does anyone else that I've read) that they are indulging in any 'sinister shenanigans'. It's just a kneejerk dislike of their connection to the military hardware industry.

Yes how unreasonable of me to object to their manufacturing death and destruction. I must reprogram myself to these cold and cynical times. (NOT)

I advise you Chil to check out a few films of the consequences of their "hardware". If you want I'll put up a link for you. But it's not Friday morn entertainment.