Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA)

T he Privacy Office

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Washington, DC 20528

703-235-0780, [email protected]

www.dhs.gov/privacy

Privacy Threshold Analysis

Version date: June 10^th, 2009

Page 7 of 7

PRIVACY THRESHOLD ANALYSIS (PTA)

This form is used to determine whether
a Privacy Impact Assessment is required.

Please use the attached form to determine whether a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is required under the E-Government Act of 2002 and the Homeland Security Act of 2002. 

Please complete this form and send it to your component Privacy Office. If you do not have a component Privacy Office, please send the PTA to the DHS Privacy Office:

Rebecca J. Richards

Director of Privacy Compliance

The Privacy Office

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Washington, DC 20528

Tel: 703-235-0780

[email protected]

Upon receipt, the DHS Privacy Office will review this form. If a PIA is required, the DHS Privacy Office will send you a copy of the Official Privacy Impact Assessment Guide and accompanying Template to complete and return.

A copy of the Guide and Template is available on the DHS Privacy Office website, www.dhs.gov/privacy, on DHSOnline and directly from the DHS Privacy Office via email: [email protected], phone: 703-235-0780.

PRIVACY THRESHOLD ANALYSIS (PTA)

Please complete this form and send it to the DHS Privacy Office.
Upon receipt, the DHS Privacy Office will review this form
and may request additional information.

Summary Information

Date submitted for review: August 19, 2009

Name of Project: Regional Catatrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP)

Name of Component:

Name of Project Manager: Nicholas W. Peake

Email for Project Manager: [email protected]

Phone number for Project Manager: 202.786.9726

Type of Project:

Information Technology and/or System^

A Notice of Proposed Rule Making or a Final Rule.

Other: A pilot DHS Preparedness Grant Program for state and local governments, not a project. 

Specific Questions

1. Describe the project and its purpose:

The Regional Catatrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) is one tool among a comprehensive set of measures authorized by Congress and implemented by the Administration to help strengthen the Nation against risks associated with catastrophic events. RCPGP provides funding to ten designated high-risk Urban Areas and their surrounding regions to enable them to develop plans and planning for catastrophic events. RCPGP helps to implement objectives addressed in a series of post-9/11 laws, strategy documents, plans, and Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs).

RCPGP grantees have existing plans, planning relationships, and some standing

agreements to share resources. However, recent assessments of catastrophic event

planning and preparedness clearly highlight the need for improved and expanded

regional collaboration. As part of the FY 2008 grant cycle, RCPGP sites focused

primarily on the development of new regional plans and annexes for catastrophic

incidents, development of regional planning communities and processes, and

identification of capability gaps, and development of a plan of action to address the

shortfalls. Priorities for the RCPGP FY 2009 grant cycle promote regional coordination

and implementation of the projects developed in the RCPGP FY 2008 grant cycle.

2. Status of Project:

This is a new development effort.

This is an existing project.

Date first developed:  January 2008 

Date last updated:  November 2008 

The following priorities and expected outcomes, which build upon projects in the first cycle (FY 2008) of the program, have been identified for FY 2009:

• Ensure the integration of planning and synchronization of plans through the use of national planning systems and tools,

• Share best practices in support of a robust national planning community

• Implement citizen and community preparedness campaigns with a focus on educating citizens about catastrophic events and the necessary steps for preparedness

• Planning for and pre-positioning of needed commodities and equipment1

• Implement the principles and processes identified in CPG-1012 for the development of plans consistent with the Integrated Planning System

• Address shortcomings in existing plans and processes

Each of these priorities must take into account both the area at risk of an attack or catastrophic event and those communities likely to host evacuees or support long-term operations.

3. Could the project relate in any way to an individual?¹

No. Please skip ahead to the next question.

Yes. Please provide a general description, below.

<Please provide a general description of the way the project could relate to an individual.>

4. Do you collect, process, or retain information on: (Please check all that apply)

DHS Employees

Contractors working on behalf of DHS

The Public

The System does not contain any such information.

5. Do you use or collect Social Security Numbers (SSNs)? (This includes truncated SSNs)

No.

Yes. Why does the program collect SSNs? Provide the function of the SSN and the

legal authority to do so:

<Please provide the function of the SSN and the legal authority to do so.>

6. What information about individuals could be collected, generated or retained?

None

7. If this project is a technology/system, does it relate solely to infrastructure? [For example, is the system a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN)]?

No. Please continue to the next question.

Yes. Is there a log kept of communication traffic?

No. Please continue to the next question.

Yes. What type of data is recorded in the log? (Please choose all that apply.)

Header

Payload Please describe the data that is logged.

<Please list the data elements in the log.>

8. Can the system be accessed remotely?

No.

Yes. When remote access is allowed, is the access accomplished by a virtual private network (VPN)?

No.      

Yes.

9. Is Personally Identifiable Information² physically transported outside of the LAN? (This can include mobile devices, flash drives, laptops, etc.)

No.

Yes.      

10. Does the system connect, receive, or share Personally Identifiable Information with any other DHS systems³?

No

Yes. Please list:

     

11. Are there regular (ie. periodic, recurring, etc.) data extractions from the system?

No.

Yes. Are these extractions included as part of the Certification and Accreditation⁴?

Yes.

No.      

12. Is there a Certification & Accreditation record within OCIO’s FISMA tracking system?

Unknown.

No.

Yes. Please indicate the determinations for each of the following:

Confidentiality: Low Moderate High Undefined

Integrity: Low Moderate High Undefined

Availability: Low Moderate High Undefined

PRIVACY THRESHOLD REVIEW

(To be Completed by the DHS Privacy Office)

Date reviewed by the DHS Privacy Office:      

Name of the DHS Privacy Office Reviewer: <Please enter name of reviwer.>

DESIGNATION

This is NOT a Privacy Sensitive System – the system contains no Personally Identifiable Information.

This IS a Privacy Sensitive System

Category of System

IT System

National Security System

Legacy System

HR System

Rule

Other:      

Determination

PTA sufficient at this time

Privacy compliance documentation determination in progress

PIA is not required at this time

A PIA is required

System covered by existing PIA:      

A new PIA is required.

A PIA Update is required.

A SORN is required

System covered by existing SORN:      

A new SORN is required.

DHS PRIVACY OFFICE COMMENTS

     

 The E-Government Act of 2002 defines these terms by reference to the definition sections of Titles 40 and 44 of the United States Code. The following is a summary of those definitions:

•“Information Technology” means any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment, used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information. See 40 U.S.C. § 11101(6).

•“Information System” means a discrete set of information resources organized for the collection, processing, maintenance, use, sharing, dissemination, or disposition of information. See: 44. U.S.C. § 3502(8).

Note, for purposes of this form, there is no distinction made between national security systems or technologies/systems managed by contractors. All technologies/systems should be initially reviewed for potential privacy impact.

1 Projects can relate to individuals in a number of ways. For example, a project may include a camera for the purpose of watching a physical location. Individuals may walk past the camera and images of those individuals may be recorded. Projects could also relate to individuals in more subtle ways. For example, a project that is focused on detecting radioactivity levels may be sensitive enough to detect whether an individual received chemotherapy.

2 Personally Identifiable Information is information that can identify a person. This includes; name, address, phone number, social security number, as well as health information or a physical description.

3 PII may be shared, received, or connected to other DHS systems directly, automatically, or by manual processes. Often, these systems are listed as “interconnected systems” in TAFISMA.

4 This could include the Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) or a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)