DHS Privacy Office - International Activities

A primary goal of the DHS Privacy Office is to promote international cooperation and understanding of privacy issues relevant to the Department’s mission and operations. In support of the Department’s mission the Office:

• Enhances the Department’s information sharing opportunities with our international partners by providing educational outreach and leadership in areas such as privacy impact assessments and freedom of information;
• Interprets international data protection frameworks;
• Counsels the Department and other agency partners on existing and emerging changes in privacy practices and policy approaches globally;
• Engages in dialogues with international privacy commissions and bilateral partnerships, including the European Union, while also leveraging opportunities for dialogue in multilateral forums; and
• Provides counsel and oversight for international agreements related to personal information collection and sharing that impact the Department’s mission.

“If we want to protect the privacy of our own citizens, we are going to have to be willing to protect the privacy of our international partners and their citizens. And that means we have to protect shared information and continue to demonstrate a level of trust …” — Secretary Chertoff

Outreach: Promotes the U.S. privacy framework as an effective way to protect personal information while not impeding trans-border data flows and the national security programs that depend on such information.

Ongoing Activities

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): participates in the APEC Privacy Subgroup and Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG) meetings.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): participates in the Cross-Border Privacy Enforcement Voluntary Working Group and the Working Party on Information and Privacy (WPISP).

International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners Conference: represents DHS at annual meetings as an official observer. Participates in the International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications meetings.

Past Activities

International Association of Privacy Professionals, Organized panel on government-to-government transfers of personally identifiable information for annual conference in October 2007.

DHS International Conference on Biometrics and Ethics, November 27-28, 2006

• Conference Summary (PDF 2 Pages, 74.32 KB)

Selected Agreements and MOUs:

Regional Movement Alert System (RMAS) , (PDF 27 Pages, 203 KB): provides privacy advice on the model APEC MOU for cross-border sharing of lost and stolen passports and advises on the expansion of this program.

Passenger Name Record (PNR): provided privacy advice to the Department on the interim U.S.-EU Agreement on Passenger Name Records and in the negotiation of the final agreement.

• New Agreement Signed with the European Union
  Press Release (PDF, 7 pages - 1.7 MB)
• Letter from the Council of the European Union to the United States (PDF, 3 pages - 1.5 MB)
• Letter from the United States to the Council of the European Union (PDF, 5 pages - 4. 5 MB)

DHS Privacy Office Main Page