This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A top-flight legal team is protesting schemes by the U.S. Census Bureau to demand, from millions of Americans, details about their fertility.

And about their bathing habits.

And about their work commute.

And their utility costs.

And cognitive disabilities.

And mental disabilities.

And their marital history.

"In an age when the government has significant technological resources at its disposal to not only carry out warrantless surveillance on American citizens but also to harvest and mine that data for its dubious purposes, whether it be crime-mapping or profiling based on race or religion, the potential for abuse is grave," explained constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of "Battlefield America: The War on the American People."

"Any attempt by the government to encroach upon the citizenry’s privacy rights or establish a system by which the populace can be targeted, tracked, and singled out must be met with extreme caution. The American Community Survey qualifies as a government program whose purpose, while seemingly benign, raises significant constitutional concerns."

The organization said it is "pushing back" against the campaign by the U.S. Census Bureau to collect "sensitive private information about individuals, using the mandatory American Community Survey."