The decennial census informs how hundreds of billions of dollars flow into communities every year for things like health clinics, transportation improvements and schools, as well as representation in Congress. As we educate the public about how the census shapes the future of communities, we also remind everyone that the census is easy to complete and, most importantly, safe.

We want people to respond in confidence knowing the census is safe and important, but without knowing the facts, some people may hesitate to respond in March. This could affect the accuracy of its results. If people get the wrong information about the 2020 Census — intentionally or unintentionally — it poses a problem for all of us.

The spread of misinformation (incorrect information spread unintentionally) and disinformation (incorrect information spread intentionally) about the 2020 Census is something we are actively fighting. We want the public to have the correct information so they can participate in the census and shape their future and the future of their community. That is why we are pooling our communications and external resources together into a unified Census Bureau Trust & Safety Team to ensure the public is properly educated on how the 2020 Census affects everyone.

Unfortunately, many of the same digital and social channels that the Census Bureau and 2020 Census partners and stakeholders will use to motivate people to respond to the census can also be used to share misinformation or disinformation in attempts to dissuade people from responding.

Scammers, criminals, fraudsters, online trolls, unscrupulous opportunists and malicious actors are potential sources of disinformation that we expect to face with the 2020 Census. Even benign misinformation carries significant risk. Urban legends spread faster online through social media than ever before, and sometimes, friendly supporters of the 2020 Census and well-meaning groups accidentally spread misinformation when the information they have is incorrect.

The Census Bureau’s Trust & Safety Team coordinates and integrates our efforts with external technology and social media platforms, partner and stakeholder organizations, and cybersecurity officials. It enables us to work together across the public and private sectors to protect the 2020 Census and make sure the information you receive about the 2020 Census is factual and accurate.

Leveraging best practices from the public and private sectors, the Trust & Safety Team monitors all available channels and open platforms for misinformation and disinformation about the census. Monitoring allows us to respond quickly to combat potential threats to achieving an accurate count in traditional media, social media and other stakeholder communications. As we discover misinformation and disinformation, the team will coordinate the responses with partners and stakeholders.

We launched the Trust & Safety Team over the summer ahead of the first major field operation for the 2020 Census — In-Field Address Canvassing. The operation was the last step in a decade-long effort to ensure we had the most accurate address list for the mailing of the census in mid-March 2020. With tens of thousands of workers in the field, we were able to test our abilities to monitor social and traditional media channels, coordinate with outside partners and stakeholders, and respond to rumors and misinformation about this major operation.

We also launched a dedicated page on our website, Fighting 2020 Census Rumors, and encouraged partners and stakeholders to report anything that looked suspicious to <rumors@census.gov>. We proactively monitored social media for rumors and were able to address the few that surfaced by working with the media, partners and stakeholders, and public officials. Today, the Trust & Safety Team is comprised of more than a dozen communications and social media experts under the executive leadership of career senior officials.

The Trust & Safety Team enhances our external relations work with a dedicated focus on protecting the accuracy of all 2020 Census information. Census Bureau leadership is dedicated to this mission and has devoted the necessary resources to be successful.

We need everyone to be vigilant in fighting misinformation, disinformation and troublesome rumors about the 2020 Census. Please email us at <rumors@census.gov>, if you see any resources, social media posting or websites that you believe contain inaccurate or false information about the 2020 Census.

An accurate count is important to everyone as it determines congressional representation for each state, and the distribution of billions of dollars in federal funds back to states and local communities every year for critical public services and infrastructure.