The availability of information, from personal information to public information, is made all the easier today due to technological changes in computers, digitized networks, internet access, and the creation of new information products. The E-Government Act of 2002 recognized that these advances also have important ramifications for the protection of personal information contained in government records and systems.
Privacy Impact Assessments ("PIAs") are required by Section 208 of the E-Government Act for all Federal government agencies that develop or procure new technology involving the collection, maintenance, or dissemination of personally identifiable information or that make substantial changes to existing technology for managing information in identifiable form. A PIA is an analysis of how personally identifiable information is collected, stored, protected, shared, and managed. The purpose of a PIA is to demonstrate that system owners and developers have consciously incorporated privacy protections throughout the entire life cycle of a system. The Act requires agencies to make PIAs publicly available. Provided, however, that agencies, in their discretion are not required to make a PIA publicly available if it would raise security concerns, reveal classified (i.e., national security) information, or sensitive (e.g., potentially damaging to a national interest, law enforcement effort or competitive business interest contained in the assessment. |
