How do I know the personal information I provide on the American Community Survey (ACS) will be kept confidential?

The Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. All information collected as part of a Census Bureau survey is strictly confidential and is only used to generate statistics that do not personally identify any household or individual. The Census Bureau does not share any personally identifiable information with any outside entity--not any other federal agencies, outside organizations, or law enforcement. Legal protections, personnel policies, restricted access, technological safeguards including cybersecurity encryption are all utilized to their full extent to protect survey data. The ACS is conducted under the authority of Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141 and 193. This same Federal Law protects your privacy and keeps your answers confidential (Title 13, United States Code, Section 9). Census employees take an oath of confidentiality, and any employee who violates those provisions is subject to fine up to $250,000 or prison up to five years, or both.