OMB releases privacy guidelines for federal agencies.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: Up front: news, trends & analysis

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a guidance document designed to implement the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002.

The guidance directs federal agencies to conduct reviews of how information about individuals is handled when agencies use information technology (IT) to collect new information or when agencies develop or but new IT systems to handle collections of personally identifiable information.

Agencies are also required to describe how they manage information that individuals provide electronically in order to assure the American public that their personal information is protected.

The guidelines apply to information that identifies individuals, including name, address, telephone number, Social Security number, and e-mail address.

Agencies will be required to conduct new privacy impact assessments (PIAs) before developing IT systems that contain identifiable information or before collecting identifiable information electronically. PIAs must be updated when changes in the way an agency handles personally identifiable information create new privacy risks. Affected agencies also will be required to report on their...