By Shannon Ballard & Lauren Saadat

Personnel exchange hosted by DHS Privacy Office

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Privacy Office initiated a personnel exchange program last year to promote greater understanding of DHS privacy policies and programs. The Privacy Office found that there was quite a bit of misunderstanding and misperception regarding the U.S. privacy framework, and particularly DHS collection, use, and oversight of personally identifiable information. As such, the objective of the personnel exchange is to correct any misinformation, explain in further depth areas of additional interest or concern, and provide reference materials. Officials participating in the exchange should leave better informed as they consider information sharing agreements with DHS and/or contemplate creation of or amendment to their own privacy laws and policies.

The exchange format allows participants to meet with each division of the DHS Privacy Office, which includes Compliance, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Technology, Incidents & Inquiries, Legislation & Regulation, Policy and Training. Outside of the Privacy Office, officials meet with component privacy officers (those with operational expertise and responsibility for privacy oversight within components such as the Transportation Security Agency, US VISIT, Customs & Border Protection, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, for example). To gain greater insight into the networked and layered approach to privacy oversight and compliance, officials meet with the Office of the Inspector General, the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Management and Budget. These three areas play a key role in independent supervision of DHS privacy policies and practices.

To date, the DHS Privacy Office has hosted officials from data protection and transparency authorities, Ministries of Justice and Ministries of Interior from Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, and the European Commission. While the Privacy Office regularly meets bilaterally with international partners to exchange best practices and affect global privacy policy, the structure of the exchange program gives individual attention to specific questions while providing a more comprehensive overview of the DHS and U.S. systems. The next exchange will take place in September.

Shannon Ballard and Lauren Saadat are directors, international privacy policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Shannon Ballard can be reached at shannon.ballard@dhs.gov, Lauren Saadat can be reached at lauren.saadat@dhs.gov.