Privacy
As agencies carry out their diverse missions, they must also respect and protect personally identifiable information (PII).
For the public to have trust in government institutions, they need to know that their personal information is secure, and will be used only for legitimate purposes. Privacy violations can put people at risk for identity theft, financial fraud, discrimination, harassment, or even physical harm. By following federal rules and regulations regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information, agencies can mitigate such risks to their customers.
Related Policy
Privacy Act of 1974 & various OMB memos
Resources on Privacy
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An introduction to privacy
Introductory guidance on implementing privacy protections for users of federal websites.
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Privacy-Preserving Collaboration Using Cryptography
In conjunction with her May 2020 presentation, Dr. Emily Shen outlines her work on Secure multi-party computation (MPC), a type of cryptography that allows parties to jointly analyze their data without disclosing it.
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Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E–Government Act of 2002 (M-03–22)
This guidance provides information to agencies on implementing the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002. It addresses privacy protections when Americans interact with their government.
Join a Community of Practice
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Web Managers
Create a better online experience for the public alongside government web content managers.
Privacy events
Privacy news
FedRAMP governance
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has recently updated its governance structure to better serve its customers. Learn about their recently-formed FedRAMP Board, composed of federal executives; the FedRAMP Technical Advisory Group (TAG), composed of technology experts; and updates made to the Federal Security Cloud Advisory Committee (FSCAC). These groups collectively aim to strengthen and expand FedRAMP’s cloud service capabilities.— via FedRAMP
Reconsidering the consent form: the least user-friendly aspect of UX research
The Open Data, Design, and Development (ODDD) team has replaced signed consent forms with a more accessible user research agreement process, offering multiple opt-in points. This ensures informed consent and participant autonomy. Explore why and how the ODDD team implemented this comprehensive participant consent process in their user research.— via Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Balancing priorities and values
This article summarizes four priorities and values that simply take time: consideration of the public’s time, privacy, accessibility and equity, and scope.
Why the American People Deserve a Digital Government
OMB released new policy guidance for government that includes a variety of actions and standards to help federal agencies design, develop, and deliver modern websites and digital services. Memo M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience, will make it seamless for the public to obtain government information and services online, and help agencies fully implement the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA).— via The White House
The Privileged Identity Playbook Guides Management of Privileged User Accounts
The Privileged Identity Playbook is a practical guide to help federal agencies implement and manage a privileged user management function as part of an overall agency ICAM program.
Resources on Privacy
-
An introduction to privacy
Introductory guidance on implementing privacy protections for users of federal websites.
-
Privacy-Preserving Collaboration Using Cryptography
In conjunction with her May 2020 presentation, Dr. Emily Shen outlines her work on Secure multi-party computation (MPC), a type of cryptography that allows parties to jointly analyze their data without disclosing it.
-
Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E–Government Act of 2002 (M-03–22)
This guidance provides information to agencies on implementing the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002. It addresses privacy protections when Americans interact with their government.
More News and Events on Privacy
28 posts
FedRAMP governance
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has recently updated its governance structure to better serve its customers. Learn about their recently-formed FedRAMP Board, composed of federal executives; the FedRAMP Technical Advisory Group (TAG), composed of technology experts; and updates made to the Federal Security Cloud Advisory Committee (FSCAC). These groups collectively aim to strengthen and expand FedRAMP’s cloud service capabilities.— via FedRAMP
Reconsidering the consent form: the least user-friendly aspect of UX research
The Open Data, Design, and Development (ODDD) team has replaced signed consent forms with a more accessible user research agreement process, offering multiple opt-in points. This ensures informed consent and participant autonomy. Explore why and how the ODDD team implemented this comprehensive participant consent process in their user research.— via Office of Natural Resources Revenue
Balancing priorities and values
This article summarizes four priorities and values that simply take time: consideration of the public’s time, privacy, accessibility and equity, and scope.
Why the American People Deserve a Digital Government
OMB released new policy guidance for government that includes a variety of actions and standards to help federal agencies design, develop, and deliver modern websites and digital services. Memo M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience, will make it seamless for the public to obtain government information and services online, and help agencies fully implement the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA).— via The White House
The Privileged Identity Playbook Guides Management of Privileged User Accounts
The Privileged Identity Playbook is a practical guide to help federal agencies implement and manage a privileged user management function as part of an overall agency ICAM program.
Go-Live Checklist for Federal Websites
Covering the breadth of federal web policy, the new downloadable checklist organizes policy requirements into nine categories and explains what your agency needs to do to meet each requirement.
5 Tips for Implementing Citizen Development in Your RPA Program
The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Community of Practice highlights five key points for implementing RPA citizen developers, as shared by federal subject matter experts James Gregory (General Services Administration), Frank Wood (Defense Logistics Agency), and Russ Kuehn (Social Security Administration) during their recent webinars with the Federal RPA Community of Practice.
Security is Everyone’s Responsibility: Delivering Secure, Usable Login for Government
How login.gov incorporated human centered design and continuous discovery into their product development process to improve the user experience.
A Dashboard for Privacy Offices
A Dashboard for Privacy Offices—Through work funded by 10x, a team from 18F investigated how technology can help busy privacy offices manage your PII, and make their work more accessible and understandable for the public.— via 18F
Laying the Foundation for a More Secure, Modern Government
Summary: Building on efforts to boost Federal cybersecurity & as part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, today we’re releasing a proposed guidance to modernize Federal IT. America’s spirit of ingenuity and entrepreneurship created the world’s most innovative economy and keeps us dominant in today’s digital age. Indeed, in 1985 about 2,000 people used the Internet;
The Data Briefing: Help Predict the Future of Federal Government Data
In December, I plan to write two postings detailing a scenario analysis for the next ten years of the Federal government’s data technologies. Governments are on the cusp of amazing technological advances propelled by artificial intelligence, blockchain technologies, and the Internet of Things. Also, governments will face new challenges such as the recent global cyber
No Longer an Idea of the Future, Artificial Intelligence Is Here and You Are Probably Already Using It
It might surprise some of you to know that artificial intelligence (AI) is already in use and a routine part of our daily lives, but we leverage this technology when we use our smartphones or other devices to ask Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, Google Now, or Amazon’s Alexa a question to get the facts or data we
Managing Federal Information as a Strategic Resource
Summary: Today, OMB is releasing an update to Circular A-130, the Federal Government’s governing document for the management of Federal information resources. Today the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is releasing an update to the Federal Government’s governing document for the management of Federal information resources: Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource.
Trends on Tuesday: Key Trends for Government from Mary Meeker’s 2016 Internet Trends
Internet strategist Mary Meeker delivered her 2016 Internet Trends report this month, and there are several key takeaways for government agencies to consider and continue tracking as our connected world continues to evolve: Mobile phone adoption and Internet growth is meeting saturation. Incremental global growth will continue (especially in India, which she called out for
The Data Briefing: The Challenge of Opening up Federal Government Algorithms
Algorithms are becoming more important as the amount of data grows, and the complexity of government and business processes grows. Put simply, an algorithm is just a set of steps for solving a problem. If you shop online, use an online social network or a mobile app to plan your route, then you are using
DigitalGov Summit Recap: Building Privacy & Identity Management in the Open
How can government protect citizens while delivering the services they demand in the modern age? This was a theme of the panel discussion on privacy and identity management at the 2015 DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit.
DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit: Reflections from Our Livestream Host, and Full Recording Now Available!
The second annual DigitalGov Citizen Services Summit was held at GSA headquarters in Washington, DC on May 21, 2015.
HTTP vs HTTPS: Is it Time For a Change?
Data. Security. Privacy. These are the cornerstones of many discussions concerning technology. The security of citizen information when interacting with the federal government will be increasingly important as we progress into the future. A few agencies have begun to use Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) in lieu of the standard HTTP. For these agencies,
Trends on Tuesday: Big Data Equals Big Challenges
According to an article from Readwrite, the amount of money going to big data projects is steadily increasing despite widespread failure to achieve many results. For big data-related projects in global organizations, a total of $31 billion was spent in 2013 and that amount is expected to top $114 billion by 2018. The recognition that