I recently received an envelope from the Census Bureau with a printed admonition that my "response is required by law." When I opened the envelope, I found a census form (Form D-1, "OMB No. 0607-0856: Approval Expires 12/31/2000") and a form note (D-16A(L)) from Kenneth Prewitt (Census Bureau director) dated March 13, 2000. While the census form included a statement required by the Paperwork Reduction Act, neither the form itself nor the note which accompanied it provided the information which is required by the Privacy Act of 1974 (codified in 5USC552a(e)(3)). (Section 552a, Title 5, United States Code, states, in part: "(e) Agency Requirements.--Each agency that maintains a system of records shall-- (3) inform each individual whom it asks to supply information, on the form which it uses to collect the information or on a separate form that can be retained by the individual-- (A) the authority (whether granted by statute, or by executive order of the President) which authorizes the solicitation of the information and whether disclosure of such information is mandatory or voluntary; (B) the principal purpose or purposes for which the information is intended to be used; (C) the routine uses which may be made of the information, as published pursuant to paragraph (4)(D) of this subsection; and (D) the effects on him, if any, of not providing all or any part of the requested information.") (Subsection (g) states, in part: "(1) Civil Remedies.--Whenever any agency (D) fails to comply with any other provision of this section, or any rule promulgated thereunder, in such a way as to have an adverse effect on an individual, the individual may bring a civil action against the agency, and the district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction in the matters under the provisions of this subsection." "(4) In any suit brought under the provisions of subsection (g)(1)(C) or (D) of this section in which the court determines that the agency acted in a manner which was intentional or willful, the United States shall be liable to the individual in an amount equal to the sum of-- (A) actual damages sustained by the individual as a result of the refusal or failure, but in no case shall a person entitled to recovery receive less than the sum of $1,000; and (B) the costs of the action together with reasonable attorney fees as determined by the court." "(5) An action to enforce any liability created under this section may be brought in the district court of the United States ... within two years from the date on which the cause of action arises, except that where an agency has materially and willfully misrepresented any information required under this section to be disclosed to an individual ... the action may be brought at any time within two years after discovery by the individual of the misrepresentation.") (Subsection (i) states, in part: "(3) Any person who knowingly and willfully requests or obtains any record concerning an individual from an agency under false pretenses shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $5,000.") (For purposes of Section 552a, the following definitions apply: "(3) the term ``maintain'' includes maintain, collect, use, or disseminate; (4) the term ``record'' means any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by an agency, including, but not limited to, his education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal or employment history and that contains his name, or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a finger or voice print or a photograph; (5) the term ``system of records'' means a group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual; (6) the term ``statistical record'' means a record in a system of records maintained for statistical research or reporting purposes only and not used in whole or in part in making any determination about an identifiable individual, except as provided by section 8 of title 13.") Normally, federal agencies routinely provide the information required by 5USC552a(e)(3) when requesting persons to provide personal information. (Examples can be found on tax form instructions, passport applications, and requests for public assistance.) Assuming that it is as competent and knowledgeable as other agencies, the Census Bureau apparently made a willful, intentional decision not to provide the required information -- a clear violation of federal law. Illegally requiring persons to provide private information to a federal government agency, when that agency by its very action violates federal law, constitutes an obvious "adverse effect" on individuals. Accordingly, if the current census form remains in use, the federal government could be liable for massive lawsuits with a minimum damage of $1,000 for each person affected -- potentially millions of persons, billions of dollars (5USC552a(g)(4)(A)). Additionally, again assuming job competence, Census Bureau officers and employees who continue the illegal collection of information are subject to misdemeanor convictions and $5,000 fines (5USC552a(i)(3)). In any event, since persons are not required to comply with an illegal request by a government agency, the 2000 census, as currently being conducted, is likely invalid. To correct this situation, the Census Bureau must immediately provide all persons with the information which is required by 5USC552a, paragraph (e)(3), and afford them an opportunity to retract any information which they may have given to the Census Bureau prior to receiving the required information. This appears to be a serious error on the part of the government. Does anyone have ideas on how to proceed with this matter?