New York (CNN Business) As the United States government gears up for its 2020 census, it's working closely with large tech companies to get ahead of potential malicious campaigns looking to exploit their platforms to deter people, including minorities, from taking part in the once-a-decade event. The Census Bureau is going so far as to consider how voice assistants, such as Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa, could be used to spread misinformation.

Facebook FB Twitter TWTR An accurate census count is crucial, as it determines how congressional seats are apportioned and how government funds are distributed. After Russia used platforms such asandto discourage communities, including African Americans, from voting in the 2016 US election, the Census Bureau is working with all the major social media companies on ways to prevent the spread of false information that could be used to dissuade people from filling out their census forms.

"2016 was a wake-up call for everybody in terms of misinformation and disinformation," Stephen Buckner, the Census Bureau's assistant associate director for communication, told CNN Business.

The pace at which information was shared online at the time of the last census in 2010 "pales in comparison" to today, he added.

Complicating matters further is the fact this will be the first census people can participate in online.

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