Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

SSC dismisses breach of privacy fears

Updated at 12:08 pm on 9 August 2012

The State Services Commission is moving to quell fears that people may have had their privacy breached as part of a Kiwis Count survey.

Postcards reminding participants about the online survey have been sent containing not just names and addresses, but also peoples' access passwords and user names.

The reminder cards were not sent in envelopes, leaving open the possibility their unique log-in could be seen and used by someone other than the recipient.

But State Services Commissioner Ian Rennie is downplaying the likelihood of a privacy breach.

While it is possible to log-on to a partially completed survey, he says previous answers remain hidden and only incomplete or blank sections are visible.

Mr Rennie says the technology involved prevents someone from using another person's access password to view their answers.

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