Privacy Threshold Analysis

The 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, 2010
Page 1 of 6
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 from the component Privacy Office, 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 DHSConnect and directly from the DHS Privacy Office via email: [email protected], phone: 703-235-0780.

The 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, 2010
Page 2 of 6
PRIVACY THRESHOLD ANALYSIS (PTA)
SUMMARY INFORMATION
Date Submitted for Review: October 18, 2011
Name of Project: I-817, Application for Family Unity Benefits
System Name in TAFISMA:
Name of Component: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Name of Project Manager: Heather Evelyn
Email for Project Manager: [email protected]
Phone Number for Project Manager: 202-272-1010
Type of Project:
Information Technology and/or System. ∗
A Notice of Proposed Rule Making or a Final Rule.
Form or other Information Collection.
Other:

∗

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.

The 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, 2010
Page 3 of 6
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
1.

Describe the project and its purpose:
The purpose of this form is to request initial benefits under the Family Unity Program, or to
request an extension of such benefits. This form is used if the individual is applying for Family
Unity Program benefits under section 301 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT 90), or if you
are applying under section 1504 of the Legal Immigration Family Equity Act (LIFE Act)
Amendments.
The Family Unity Program provides a transition for certain family members of legalized aliens to
family-sponsored second preference immigrant status. This is evident not only from section 301
of IMMACT, but also from its interrelationship with section 112 of IMMACT, which created visa
numbers for spouses and children of eligible legalized aliens under the family-sponsored second
preference classification.

2.

Status of Project:
This is a new development effort.
This is an existing project.
Date first developed:
Date last updated: 11/23/2010
This is a request to extend the use of Form I-817 under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
The form is set to expire on January 30, 2012. No changes have been made to the
form

3.

From whom 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.

4.

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

The 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, 2010
Page 4 of 6
legal authority to do so: The SSN is used to adjudicate the benefit requested and
the authority to use this information is Immigration and Nationality Act.
5.

What information about individuals could be collected, generated or retained?
Name; Date of Birth; A-number; Social Security Number; Country of Birth; Country of
Citizenship; Gender; Address; Phone Number; criminal information; marital status; phone
number; email.

6.

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.

7.

Does the system connect, receive, or share Personally Identifiable Information with any other
DHS systems 1?
No.
Yes.
Please list:

8.

Is there a Certification & Accreditation record within OCIO’s FISMA tracking system?
Unknown.
No.
Yes. Please indicate the determinations for each of the following:

1

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.

The 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, 2010
Page 5 of 6
Confidentiality:

Low

Moderate

High

Undefined

Integrity:

Low

Moderate

High

Undefined

Availability:

Low

Moderate

High

Undefined

The 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, 2010
Page 6 of 6

PRIVACY THRESHOLD REVIEW
(TO BE COMPLETED BY THE DHS PRIVACY OFFICE)
Date reviewed by the DHS Privacy Office: October 24, 2011
Name of the DHS Privacy Office Reviewer: Rebecca J. Richards
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: Form
Determination
PTA sufficient at this time.
Privacy compliance documentation determination in progress.
PIA is not required at this time.
PIA is required.
System covered by existing PIA: DHS/USCIS/PIA-016 CLAIMS 3 PIA
New PIA is required.
PIA update is required.
SORN not required at this time.
SORN is required.
System covered by existing SORN: DHS/USCIS-007 BIS SORN
New SORN is required.
DHS PRIVACY OFFICE COMMENTS