Privacy

PCR of the S & T Directorate

The DHS Privacy Office launched a Privacy Compliance Review (PCR) on July 27, 2018, under the Chief Privacy Officer’s authority in accordance with Section 222 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as a result of growing concerns that the DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) privacy compliance process, particularly for those programs involving social media and volunteers, did not meet requirements under DHS policies.  The PCR reviewed DHS S&T’s privacy compliance and privacy practices from October 1, 2016, through July 28, 2018.

Privacy Policy Instruction 047-01-010 SSN Collection and Use Reduction

This instruction mandates a reduction in the use of the SSN in DHS programs, systems, and forms.

CBP Border Wall Records (Sierra Club v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, et. al.)

Records released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to the Sierra Club concerning the construction of border fencing sections O-1, O-2, and O-3 in the vicinity of the communities of Roma, Rio Grande City, and Los Ebanos, Texas and their impact on the Rio Grande Valley floodplain.

DHS/CBP/PIA-058 Publicly Available Social Media Monitoring and Situational Awareness Initiative

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) takes steps to ensure the safety of its facilities and personnel from natural disasters, threats of violence, and other harmful events and activities. In support of these efforts, designated CBP personnel monitor publicly available, open source social media to provide situational awareness and to monitor potential threats or dangers to CBP personnel and facility operators. Authorized CBP personnel may collect publicly available information posted on social media sites to create reports and disseminate information related to personnel and facility safety. CBP is conducting this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) because, as part of this initiative, CBP may incidentally collect, maintain, and disseminate personally identifiable information (PII) over the course of these activities.

Associated SORNs:

• DHS/CBP-024 Intelligence Records System (CIRS) System of Records

DHS/USCIS/PIA-078 Data Streaming Services (DSS)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses Data Streaming Services as intermediary messengers to effectively and efficiently move data among USCIS systems in near real-time. The use of these services allows USCIS to transport data without the technical and administrative burden usually placed on the operating systems. USCIS is publishing this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to evaluate the privacy risks and mitigations associated with the transport of personally identifiable information (PII) using these services.

DHS/USCIS/PIA-077 FOIA Immigration Records System (FIRST)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), operates the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Immigration Records System (FIRST) to process FOIA requests, Privacy Act requests, and Privacy Act amendment requests from any eligible person or entity requesting access to or amendment of USCIS records. FIRST serves two purposes: (1) FIRST has a public-facing portal that allows members of the public to submit FOIA/Privacy Act requests online and allows USCIS to electronically deliver responsive records, and (2) FIRST is an internal case management system for USCIS. USCIS is conducting this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to analyze the privacy impacts associated with USCIS’ use of FIRST, as well as the information collected, used, maintained, and disseminated.

DHS/CBP/PIA-057 Electronic Secured Adjudication Forms Environment (e-SAFE)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is tasked with determining the admissibility of all individuals seeking admission into the United States. e-SAFE is a web-based waiver application system that allows inadmissible visa-exempt individuals to apply for a waiver of inadmissibility. CBP is updating this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to meet the guidelines contained in Executive Order (EO) 13780, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." The EO requires the capture of social media "handles" or identifiers of applicants and the names and addresses of individuals with whom waiver applicants anticipate they will be in contact while in the United States. This information will help improve the screening and vetting protocols and procedures associated with the waiver issuance process.

DHS/S&T/PIA-037 Genomics Informatics System (GIS)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) created the Genomics Informatics System (GIS) to analyze bio-forensic data for classified development projects and law enforcement casework. GIS processes deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and amino-acid sequences transferred to GIS from external sources. S&T uses GIS for the analysis of bio-forensic data that may include the DNA or amino-acid sequences of synthetic constructs, viruses, bacteria, plants, animals, and/or humans. GIS is not used to identify individuals, and the identity of an individual cannot be inferred from a DNA sequence or other information in the GIS database. S&T is conducting this PIA to analyze potential privacy risks in the collection, analysis, and storage of human DNA sequences by GIS.

DPIAC Recommendations Report 2019 01

Report 2019-01 of the DHS Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee on Privacy Recommendations in Connection with the Use of Facial Recognition Technology.

DHS/USCIS/PIA-076 Continuous Immigration Vetting

Information related to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) number 076, Continuous Immigration Vetting.