Indian Affairs Privacy Act Program
The Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a), enacted in 1974, established controls over what personal information the Federal government collects and how it uses or discloses that information. The Privacy Act has four basic objectives that the Department of the Interior (DOI) and its Bureaus are committed to fulfilling to the greatest extent possible:
- To restrict disclosure of personally identifiable records maintained by agencies;
- To grant individuals increased rights of access to agency records maintained on them;
- To grant individuals the right to seek amendment of agency records maintained on themselves upon a showing that the records are not accurate, relevant, timely, or complete; and
- To establish a code of "fair information practices" that requires agencies to comply with statutory norms for collection, maintenance, and dissemination of records.
In discharging this assigned responsibility, the Indian Affairs Privacy Program performs multiple functions, to include:
- Developing policy, providing program oversight, and serving as the Indian Affairs focal point for IA Privacy matters,
- Providing day-to-day policy guidance and assistance to the IA, BIA, and BIE in their implementation and execution of their Privacy Programs,
- Reviewing new and existing IA policies which impact on the personal privacy of the individual,
- Reviewing, coordinating, and submitting for publication in the Federal Register Privacy Act systems of records and Privacy Act rulemaking by IA, BIA, and BIE,
- Developing and coordinating Privacy Act computer matching programs between the IA, BIA, and BIE, DOI Bureaus and other Federal and State agencies,
- Providing administrative and operational support to the IA, BIA, and BIE programs.
Privacy Policy Contacts: List of Bureau FOIA/Privacy Contacts.
Privacy Policies and References: DOI and Federal privacy policies and privacy-related resources.
Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs): List of official PIAs and Adapted PIAs for DOI Bureaus and Offices.
Privacy Act Notices: The Privacy Act requires each agency to publish notice of its systems of records in the Federal Register. This notice is generally referred to as a system of records notice (SORN).
E-Gov Act Privacy Requirements: A link to OMB Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002.
The Indian Affairs Privacy Office is responsible for implementation of the Privacy Program. You are encouraged to contact the Privacy Act Officer whenever you are unsure about how to deal with a particular Privacy Act issue. When in doubt, always consult with the Privacy Act Officer before you release records protected by the Privacy Act. For questions regarding the Indian Affairs Privacy Program, contact us at Privacy-PII@bia.gov.