Keeping your data safe
The safety of your information is our top priority and the personal information you give us is protected by law. Personal information is any information that could allow you to be identified, for example your name, address or date of birth. We do not share this with anyone.
The law in place that covers protection of your information is the Statistics Ordinance 2010.
You cannot be identified in any of the statistics or reports we publish.
Your census record is kept secure and sealed for 100 years in the Government Archives and only then can it be seen by future generations.
Only official census staff will have access to completed census forms and it’s a crime for them to unlawfully share personal census information.
We have a strict security regime that follows government standards. This includes physical and IT security measures to protect your information.
Access to the census database, and the databases from previous census years, is restricted - only the government statistician can access them.
What we do with your information
The personal information you put on your census is only used for statistical purposes. Our statistics do not contain any information that will allow you or anyone you live with to be identified. Personal information includes things like your name, date of birth and address. We ask for names and dates of birth to help us make sure we only count each person once.
Your personal census information cannot be seen or used by:
- anyone who makes decisions about you or any services that you get
- anyone making decisions about your residency applications or immigration status
- anyone making decisions about individual services, such as taxes and benefits
- anyone wanting to find you or sell you anything - your personal information can't be given or sold to third parties
Your confidentiality is protected by law under the Statistics Ordinance 2010. It’s a crime for anyone to share personal census information unless required or permitted by law.
