Data Security Card

DATA
SECURITY
The security of your information
is important to us!

DATA
PROTECTION

RESPONDENT
PRIVACY

IDENTITY
THEFT

CYBER
SECURITY

We can’t have a successful survey without the cooperation of
respondents like you. We will always do everything we can to earn
your trust and ensure that your information is secure. In fact, if we
don’t protect your information, our jobs could be in jeopardy.

Maintaining your privacy is our number one priority
Below are some of the measures we take to ensure that your
information remains confidential.
› We never put the survey name on the outside of an envelope,
on a postcard, on an answering machine message, or anywhere
that someone else could see or hear it. We do not sell or provide
your name to any mailing lists.
› Your name is never kept with information gathered from your
interview so no one can identify you from your survey answers.
All personal information is stripped out of the data before it is
released to researchers. Respondent IDs are used to keep your
personal information, such as name and address, private and
protected.

› The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), NORC at the
University of Chicago, and CHRR at The Ohio State University
staff receive annual training on information systems security
and privacy awareness and the Confidential Information
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA). If a staff
member causes a data breach, they can be fined or imprisoned
for violating the confidentiality of study respondents.
› The information collected from you is stored on secured
systems utilizing NIST protocols, which are guidelines used
to maintain the integrity, confidentiality, and security of
information systems.
› The laptops used by NORC interviewers have many levels of
security, including password-protection and data encryption.
Once you complete your interview, your data is sent by a secure
connection to our data bank, also protected by many layers of
security.
› Some researchers apply to BLS for special permission to get
information about the geographic area of residence of our
respondents. These researchers are vetted and participate
in the same security training as BLS,
NORC, and CHRR staff. They also can
be fined or imprisoned for violating the
confidentiality of study respondents.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact us and we’ll
be happy to assist you!
Call: 877-504-1086
Text with your full name to: 312-835-1905
Email: [email protected]
Visit: www.bls.gov/respondents/nls/confidentiality.htm