Privacy Act of 1974: Implementation of Exemptions; DHS/USSS-003 Non-Criminal Investigation Information System, 77543-77544 [E8-29880]

Agencies

• Office of Security
• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 245 (Friday, December 19, 2008)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 77543-77544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-29880]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Office of Security

6 CFR Part 5

[Docket No. DHS-2008-0176]


Privacy Act of 1974: Implementation of Exemptions; DHS/USSS-003 
Non-Criminal Investigation Information System

AGENCY: Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is giving concurrent 
notice of a revised and updated system of records pursuant to the 
Privacy Act of 1974 for the DHS United States Secret Service--003 Non-
Criminal Investigation Information System system of records and this 
proposed rulemaking. In this proposed rulemaking, the Department 
proposes to exempt portions of the system of records from one or more 
provisions of the Privacy Act because of criminal, civil, and 
administrative enforcement requirements.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 20, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number DHS-
2008-0176, by one of the following methods:
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 1-866-466-5370.
     Mail: Hugo Teufel III, Chief Privacy Officer, Department 
of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number for this notice. All comments received will be posted 
without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general questions and privacy 
issues, please contact: Hugo Teufel III (703-235-0780), Chief Privacy 
Officer, Privacy Office, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 
Washington, DC 20528.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: Pursuant to the savings clause 
in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) and United States Secret Service (USSS) have relied on 
preexisting Privacy Act systems of records notices for the collection 
and maintenance of records that concern DHS/USSS-003 Non-Criminal 
Investigation Information System records.
    As part of its efforts to streamline and consolidate its Privacy 
Act record systems, DHS/USSS is updating and reissuing a DHS/USSS 
system of records under the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) for USSS 
records that concern individuals involved in non-criminal statutory 
investigations and/or requirements. Information related investigations 
into employee activities is retired into DHS/All 020 Internal Affairs 
published in the Federal Register on November 14, 2008 73 FR 67529; 
information related to claims against USSS is retired into DHS/All-013 
Claims published in the Federal Register on October 28, 2008 at 73 FR 
63987; and information related to employment and security clearance 
suitability are retired in DHS/OS1 Office of Security Files, published 
September 12, 2006 71 FR 53700. This will ensure that all 
organizational parts of USSS follow the same privacy rules for 
collecting and handling records non-criminal USSS investigation 
records. In this notice of proposed rulemaking, DHS now is proposing to 
exempt DHS/USSS-003 Non-Criminal Investigation Information System, in 
part, from certain provisions of the Privacy Act.
    The Privacy Act embodies fair information principles in a statutory 
framework governing the means by which the United States Government 
collects, maintains, uses, and disseminates personally identifiable 
information. The Privacy Act applies to information that is maintained 
in a ``system of records.'' A ``system of records'' is a group of any 
records under the control of an agency from which information is 
retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, 
symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual. 
Individuals may request their own records that are maintained in a 
system of records in the possession or under the control of DHS by 
complying with DHS Privacy Act regulations, 6 CFR part 5.
    The Privacy Act requires each agency to publish in the Federal 
Register a description of the type and character of each system of 
records that the agency maintains, and the routine uses that are 
contained in each system in order to make agency recordkeeping 
practices transparent, to notify individuals regarding the uses to 
which personally identifiable information is put, and to assist 
individuals in finding such files within the agency.
    The Privacy Act allows Government agencies to exempt certain 
records from the access and amendment provisions. If an agency claims 
an exemption, however, it must issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to 
make clear to the public the reasons why a particular exemption is 
claimed.
    DHS is claiming exemptions from certain requirements of the Privacy 
Act for DHS/USSS-003 Non-Criminal Investigation Information System. 
Some information in Non-Criminal Investigation Information System 
relates to law enforcement, training, and protective services to the 
President of the United States or other individuals pursuant to Section 
3056 and 3056A of Title 18. These exemptions are needed to protect 
information relating to DHS activities from disclosure to subjects or 
others related to these activities. Specifically, the exemptions are 
required to preclude subjects of these activities from frustrating 
these processes; to avoid disclosure of activity techniques; to protect 
the identities and physical safety of confidential informants and law 
enforcement personnel; to ensure DHS' ability to obtain information 
from third parties and other sources; to protect the privacy of third 
parties; to protect testing materials; and to safeguard records in 
connection with providing protective services to the President of the 
United States or other individuals pursuant to Section 3056 and 3056A 
of Title 18. Disclosure of information to the subject of the inquiry 
could also permit the subject to avoid detection or apprehension.
    The exemptions proposed here are standard law enforcement and 
national security exemptions exercised by a large number of Federal law 
enforcement and intelligence agencies. In appropriate circumstances, 
where compliance would not appear to interfere with or adversely affect 
the law enforcement purposes of this system and the overall law 
enforcement process, the applicable exemptions may be waived on a case 
by case basis.
    A notice of system of records for DHS/USSS-003 Non-Criminal 
Investigation Information System is also published in this issue of the 
Federal Register.

[[Page 77544]]

List of Subjects in 6 CFR Part 5

    Freedom of information; Privacy.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, DHS proposes to amend 
Chapter I of Title 6, Code of Federal Regulations, as follows:

PART 5--DISCLOSURE OF RECORDS AND INFORMATION

    1. The authority citation for Part 5 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.; Public Law 107-296, 116 Stat. 
2135; 5 U.S.C. 301. Subpart A also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552. 
Subpart B also issued under 5 U.S.C. 552a.

    2. Add at the end of Appendix C to Part 5, the following new 
paragraph ``14'':

Appendix C to Part 5--DHS Systems of Records Exempt From the Privacy 
Act

* * * * *
    14. The Department of Homeland Security DHS/USSS-003 Non-
Criminal Investigation Information System system of records consists 
of electronic and paper records and will be used by DHS and its 
components. DHS/USSS-003 Non-Criminal Investigation Information 
System is a repository of information held by DHS in connection with 
its several and varied missions and functions, including, but not 
limited to: The enforcement of civil and criminal laws; 
investigations, inquiries, and proceedings thereunder; protection of 
the President of the United States or other individuals pursuant to 
Section 3056 and 3056A of Title 18; and protection of testing 
materials. DHS/USSS-003 Non-Criminal Investigation Information 
System contains information that is collected by, on behalf of, in 
support of, or in cooperation with DHS and its components and may 
contain personally identifiable information collected by other 
Federal, State, local, tribal, foreign, or international government 
agencies. Pursuant to exemption 5 U.S.C. 552a(j)(2) of the Privacy 
Act, portions of this system are exempt from 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(3) and 
(4); (d); (e)(1), (e)(2), (e)(3), (e)(4)(G), (e)(4)(H), (e)(4)(I), 
(e)(5) and (e)(8); (f), and (g). Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(k)(2), 
(3), (5), and (6) this system is exempt from the following 
provisions of the Privacy Act, subject to the limitations set forth 
in those subsections: 5 U.S.C. 552a(c)(3), (d), (e)(1), (e)(4)(G), 
(e)(4)(H), (e)(4)(I), and (f). Exemptions from these particular 
subsections are justified, on a case-by-case basis to be determined 
at the time a request is made, for the following reasons:
    (a) From subsection (c)(3) and (4) (Accounting for Disclosures) 
because release of the accounting of disclosures could alert the 
subject of an investigation of an actual or potential criminal, 
civil, or regulatory violation to the existence of the 
investigation, and reveal investigative interest on the part of DHS 
as well as the recipient agency. Disclosure of the accounting would 
therefore present a serious impediment to law enforcement efforts 
and/or efforts to preserve national security. Disclosure of the 
accounting would also permit the individual who is the subject of a 
record to impede the investigation, to tamper with witnesses or 
evidence, and to avoid detection or apprehension, which would 
undermine the entire investigative process.
    (b) From subsection (d) (Access to Records) because access to 
the records contained in this system of records could inform the 
subject of an investigation of an actual or potential criminal, 
civil, or regulatory violation, to the existence of the 
investigation, and reveal investigative interest on the part of DHS 
or another agency. Access to the records could permit the individual 
who is the subject of a record to impede the investigation, to 
tamper with witnesses or evidence, and to avoid detection or 
apprehension. Amendment of the records could interfere with ongoing 
investigations and law enforcement activities and would impose an 
impossible administrative burden by requiring investigations to be 
continuously reinvestigated. In addition, permitting access and 
amendment to such information could disclose security-sensitive 
information that could be detrimental to homeland security.
    (c) From subsection (e)(1) (Relevancy and Necessity of 
Information) because in the course of investigations into potential 
violations of Federal law, the accuracy of information obtained or 
introduced occasionally may be unclear or the information may not be 
strictly relevant or necessary to a specific investigation. In the 
interests of effective law enforcement, it is appropriate to retain 
all information that may aid in establishing patterns of unlawful 
activity.
    (d) From subsection (e)(2) (Collection of Information from 
Individuals) because requiring that information be collected from 
the subject of an investigation would alert the subject to the 
nature or existence of an investigation, thereby interfering with 
the related investigation and law enforcement activities.
    (e) From subsection (e)(3) (Notice to Subjects) because 
providing such detailed information would impede law enforcement in 
that it could compromise investigations by: Revealing the existence 
of an otherwise confidential investigation and thereby provide an 
opportunity for the subject of an investigation to conceal evidence, 
alter patterns of behavior, or take other actions that could thwart 
investigative efforts; reveal the identity of witnesses in 
investigations, thereby providing an opportunity for the subjects of 
the investigations or others to harass, intimidate, or otherwise 
interfere with the collection of evidence or other information from 
such witnesses; or reveal the identity of confidential informants, 
which would negatively affect the informant's usefulness in any 
ongoing or future investigations and discourage members of the 
public from cooperating as confidential informants in any future 
investigations.
    (f) From subsections (e)(4)(G), (H), and (I) (Agency 
Requirements), and (f) (Agency Rules) because portions of this 
system are exempt from the individual access provisions of 
subsection (d) for the reasons noted above, and therefore DHS is not 
required to establish requirements, rules, or procedures with 
respect to such access. Providing notice to individuals with respect 
to existence of records pertaining to them in the system of records 
or otherwise setting up procedures pursuant to which individuals may 
access and view records pertaining to themselves in the system would 
undermine investigative efforts and reveal the identities of 
witnesses, and potential witnesses, and confidential informants.
    (g) From subsection (e)(5) (Collection of Information) because 
in the collection of information for law enforcement purposes it is 
impossible to determine in advance what information is accurate, 
relevant, timely, and complete. Compliance with (e)(5) would 
preclude DHS agents from using their investigative training, and 
exercise of good judgment to both conduct and report on 
investigations.
    (h) From subsection (e)(8) (Notice on Individuals) because 
compliance would interfere with DHS' ability to obtain, serve, and 
issue subpoenas, warrants, and other law enforcement mechanisms that 
may be filed under seal, and could result in disclosure of 
investigative techniques, procedures, and evidence.
    (i) From subsection (g) to the extent that the system is exempt 
from other specific subsections of the Privacy Act relating to 
individuals' rights to access and amend their records contained in 
the system. Therefore DHS is not required to establish rules or 
procedures pursuant to which individuals may seek a civil remedy for 
the agency's: refusal to amend a record; refusal to comply with a 
request for access to records; failure to maintain accurate, 
relevant timely and complete records; or failure to otherwise comply 
with an individual's right to access or amend records.

    Dated: December 10, 2008.
Hugo Teufel III,
Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security.

 [FR Doc. E8-29880 Filed 12-18-08; 8:45 am]
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