CSO to use captcha in first online census in 2027 to protect against cyberattacks

Unlike any previous census, which has been completed using handwritten forms dropped into households every five years, the next census in less than two years’ time will be the first to see a citizen web portal created online. File picture

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is set to spend up to €120,000 on a “captcha” service to help prevent bots from accessing the country’s first online census platform in 2027.

A captcha is a commonly used security measure on websites to distinguish between human and automated users.