In response to the disinformation spreading through the social network, intended to scare people about the misuse of their data, the following opinion has been issued by the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic:
Census opponents appeal to the Personal Data Protection Act according to which the processing of personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership and of data concerning health or sex life is prohibited. Although, the Statistical Office of the SR surveys some of these data but their protection is guaranteed by the Census Act and the Act on State Statistics. Not only the personal but all survey data are treated as confidential statistical data. Census opponents intentionally “ignore” the Paragraph 6 Section 3 and 4 and in Paragraph 10 Section 3 of the Personal Data Protection Act. Pursuant to this Act the processing of personal data for historical, scientific and statistical purposes can be carried out only in the public interest. All data obtained will be anonymized by the Statistical Office of the SR and after the end of the Census will be destroyed pursuant to special laws.
Census Sheet does not contain names, surnames, birth number and exact address or signature of a resident which also ensures the anonymity of completed Census Sheets. Census Taker has a special list with pre-printed names of residents in his/her Census Tract. This list is needed as the Census Taker has an obligation to inquire about the relationship between household members. List of names of residents will not be further processed and will only be used for creating relationships between household members.
As indicated in Paragraph 8 of the 2011 Population and Housing Census Act there is an obligation to generate a numeric identifier of a resident for filling in the Census Sheets and ensure their delivery to the residents. Part of the Action No. 438 of November 2010 issued by the Statistical Office of the SR which lays down the details concerning the basic characteristics and the structure of surveyed data for the 2011 Census, is also the Annex No.2-Sample Census Sheets, where is also a place for the bar code. This Action was going through a consultation process and was issued in the Collection of Laws, part 162. Thus, in November 2010 the design and final content of Census Sheets was already known.
In the 2011 Population and Housing Census, the public will be allowed, for the first time in history, to choose whether to fill out the Census Sheets in paper or electronic form. Therefore, it is necessary to generate identifiers for exclusively census purposes. Their purpose of identifiers is to prevent double counting, if by chance someone happens to get counted both ways (in paper and electronic form), or if someone used an original identifier for getting counted in the place of permanent residence, and also a spare identifier for the place of usual residence. The Statistical Office of the SR, therefore, needs to have Census Sheet connected with an identifier for a certain period of time. It will last only until these duplicities are “sorted out”, figuratively speaking, i.e. until the creation of the core database from census results. Only a few, exclusively entrusted employees of the Statistical Office of the SR and the suppliers of the project for the automated results processing who are bound by restrictions resulting from applicable laws (Census Act and Act on State Statistics) as well as by the project´s strict security regime have access to the paired data. The identifier is necessary for a fair processing of survey data, as well as for the electronic counting itself.
The Statistical Office of the SR has assured the Slovak population that the data required to provide for the Census will not be misused. The Statistical Office also considers to take legal measures against the spreaders of disinformation.