Overview
Section 208 of the E-Government Act of 2002 helps to ensure that agencies put in place sufficient protections for the privacy of personal information in implementing a citizen-centered electronic government. It requires agencies to conduct Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) for information technology (IT) systems or projects that collect, maintain or disseminate information in identifiable form from or about members of the public or when initiating a new electronic collection of information in identifiable form for 10 or more persons (excluding agencies, instrumentalities, or employees of the federal government).
Among other things, the PIA process requires agencies to review what information is collected, why the information is collected, how the information will be used by the agency, with whom the information will be shared, and how the information is handled and secured when using IT to collect new information or when developing or buying new IT systems to handle collections of personally identifiable information. PIAs conducted for " major information systems," as defined in OMB Circular A-130 (Section 6.u.) and OMB Circular A-11 (section 300-4 (2003)), reflect more extensive analysis of the consequences of collection and flow of information, the alternatives to the collection and handling as designed, the appropriate measures to reduce risks identified for each alternative, and the rationale for the final design choice or business process.
In general, agencies are required to make PIAs publicly available through publication in the Federal Register or through posting on agency websites.
Objectives
The objectives of a PIA include:
- Provide a tool to make informed policy and system design or procurement decisions based on an understanding of privacy risks and options available for mitigating these risks.
- Ensure that system and program managers are accountable for the proper handling of privacy issues.
- Establish a consistent format and structured process for analyzing both technical and legal compliance with applicable privacy laws and regulations, as well as accepted privacy policy.
- Provide basic documentation on the flow of personal information within systems for use and review by policy, program, and management staff; systems analysts; and security specialists.
- Provide the public with assurances that their personal information is protected.
Privacy Impact Assessments
The following are official Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) of significant initiatives at the U.S. Department of Education (listed by Principal Office).
NOTE: if a PIA below indicates that it is "certified as valid," that means that, during a required review of the PIA, the system owner determined that the initial PIA was still accurate and valid, and did not need to be updated.
Federal Student Aid (FSA)
- Access and Identity Management System (AIMS) (MS Word, 109.0KB), September 05, 2019
- Central Processing System (CPS) (PDF, 415KB), April 21, 2020
- Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) (PDF, 269KB), March 20, 2020
- Customer Engagement Management System (CEMS) (PDF, 90KB), December 3, 2018
- Debt Management and Collection System (DMCS) (PDF, 147.6KB), November 4, 2019
- Digital Communications Tool (DCT) (PDF, 87KB), November 22, 2017
- Digital Customer Care (PDF, 340KB), February 12, 2020
- Electronic Cohort Default Rate Appeals (eCDRA Appeals) (PDF, 251KB), February 27, 2019
- Enterprise Business Collaboration (EBC) Foreign Gift Collection (PDF, 328KB), January 28, 2020
- Enterprise Data Warehouse and Analytics (EDWA) (PDF, 128KB), March 30, 2017
- EZ Audit (PDF,178KB), November 16, 2018
- Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) (PDF, 336KB, May 13, 2020)
- Financial Management System (FMS) (PDF, 102KB), November 29, 2018
- FSA Cloud NextGen General Support System (FSA Cloud) (PDF, 626KB), September 23, 2020
- Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL) Online Processing System (HOPS) (PDF, 178KB), May 11, 2016
- Integrated Student Experience (ISE) (PDF, 101.9KB), November 19, 2018
- myStudentAid (PDF, 366KB), May 13, 2020
- National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) (PDF, 327.0KB), April 2, 2020
- Person Authentication Service (PAS) (PDF, 390KB), February 3, 2020
- Postsecondary Educational Participants System (PEPS) (PDF, 83KB), November 8, 2018
- Private Collection Agencies (PCAs) (PDF, 517KB), January 14, 2021
- Complete List of Private Collection Agencies (PCAs) (MS Word, 16KB)
- Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) (PDF, 89.6KB), April 2, 2020
- Title IV Additional Servicers and Not-for-Profit Collection Agencies (PDF, 480KB), October 01, 2019
Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
- DC Choice Program Evaluation (PDF, 79KB), December 27, 2018
- IES Data Center (IESDC) (MS Word, 359KB), June 9, 2019
- IES Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows Survey (PDF, 108.6KB), August 5, 2008
- Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B) (PDF, 126KB), August 1, 2016; certified as valid January 15, 2019 (PDF, 86KB)
- Impact Evaluation of Departmentalized Instruction in Elementary Schools(PDF), September 12, 2018
- Impact Study of Feedback for Teachers Based on Classroom Videos (PDF, 83KB), October 3, 2017
- National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), Web Content Management System (WCMS) Nominations Tool (PDF, 109.1KB), May 26, 2015; certified as valid June 26, 2018 (PDF, 49KB)
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Applications at RTI, May 16, 2019 (MS Word, 355KB)
- National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (PDF, 238.2KB), December 19, 2012; certified as valid March 22, 2018 (PDF, 78.KB).
- National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) (PDF, 94.5KB), November 3, 2009
- Peer Review Information Management Online (PRIMO) (PDF, 95.7KB), November 26, 2018
- Study of Teacher Preparation Experiences and Early Teacher Effectiveness (PDF, 114.3KB), February 9, 2014; certified as valid February 16, 2018 (PDF, 81.4KB).
- Text Ed: Study of Text Messaging to Improve College Enrollment Rates Among Disadvantaged Adults (PDF, 129KB), November 22, 2019
Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
- Enterprise Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) (PDF, 363KB), June 16, 2020
- Education's Central Automated Processing System (EDCAPS) (PDF, 140KB), October 29, 2019
- Department of Education Contests (PDF, 137.8KB), March 27, 2015, certified as valid April 13, 2018 (PDF, 42KB)
- McAfee Data Loss Prevention System (DLP) (PDF, 2.0MB), May 11, 2015
- Non-GFE for Remote Access (PDF, 103.3KB), May 26, 2015; certified as valid January 5, 2018 (PDF, 34.4KB).
- SecurityTouch Learning Management System (STLMS) (PDF, 85.4KB), November 19, 2019
- Social Media Websites and Applications (PDF, KB), May 1, 2011, certified as valid April 13, 2018 (PDF, 102KB)
Office of Communications and Outreach (OCO)
- ED.gov Blogs (PDF, 102.5KB), March 18, 2015; certified as valid October 16, 2018 (PDF,59KB)
- cVent Event Solutions (PDF, 422.9KB), October 15, 2012; certified as valid June 8, 2018 (PDF,46.0KB)
- National Blue Ribbon Schools Program (BRSP) (PDF, 244KB), December 8, 2015;certified as valid March 21, 2018 (PDF,49.0KB)
- OCO Contact Lists (PDF, 156.7KB), August 9, 2012; certified as valid September 12, 2018 (PDF, 42KB)
- On-Line Application System (OLAS) for School Ambassador Fellows Program (SAF), (PDF, 127KB) December 1, 2016
- WizeHive: Presidential Scholars Program (PSP) Workspace, (MS Word) May 22, 2019
- Voluntary Student Engagement Form (V-SEF) (PDF, 142KB), September 26, 2018
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
- Case and Activity Management System (CAMS) (PDF, 129KB), March 17, 2020
Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE)
- The LINCS Technology Project (PDF, 228KB), January 14, 2019
- Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan Portal (PDF, 329KB) January 28, 2020
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
- Impact Aid Grant System (IAGS) (PDF, 538KB), October 1, 2020
- Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) (PDF, 307KB), December 6, 2018
- You for Youth Professional Development Web Portal (PDF, 1.23MB), February 28, 2011; certified as valid December 7, 2017. (PDF, 37KB)
Office of Finance and Operations (OFO)
- Department of Education Security Tracking and Reporting System (EDSTAR) (PDF, 363KB), May 6, 2020
- Office of Hearing and Appeals E-Filing System (OES) (PDF, 79.8KB), December 21, 2018
Office of the General Counsel (OGC)
- Department of Education Federal Docket Management System (EDFDMS) (PDF, 182KB), August 22 , 2017
- Office of General Counsel Case & Activity Management System (OGC-CAMS) (PDF, 102.9KB), November 28, 2014
Office of Inspector General (OIG)
- OIG Case Management System (CMS) (PDF, 102KB), October 25, 2017
- Office of Inspector General Data Analytic System (ODAS) (PDF, 119.3KB), August 26, 2014
- Office of Inspector General Management Information System (OIG MIS) (PDF, 344KB), May 6, 2020
Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development (OPEPD)
- Education Stabilization Fund Public Transparency Portal (ESF PTP), (PDF, 364K), January 11, 2021
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) (PDF, 102KB), November 12, 2018
- Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award (PCEA) (Word, 370KB), October 01, 2019
Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE)
- Accreditation and State Liaison (ASL) System (MS Word, 468KB), April 14, 2020
- Title II Scholarship Administration and Reporting System (TSAR) (MS Word, 345KB), August 20, 2019
- Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Performance Report System (MS Word, 351KB), September 23, 2019
- HEA Title II State Reporting System (T2SRS) (PDF, 523KB), December 29, 2020
- International Resource Information System (IRIS) (PDF, 199KB), October 27, 2016
- TRIO Programs Annual Performance Reports (APR) (PDF, 149KB), January 23, 2018
Office of the Secretary (OS)
- Constituent Inquiry Log (CIL) and Database (PDF, 173KB), September 24, 2015; certified as valid October 15, 2018.
- FOIAXpress in the Cloud (PDF, 92.1KB), May 6, 2020
- Control Correspondence Manager Plus (CCM Plus), February 6, 2020 (PDF, 374K)
Office of Special Educational and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Analysis, Communication, Dissemination, and Meetings (IDEA ACDM) (PDF, 357KB), June 11, 2012;
certified as valid January 18, 2018 (PDF, 49KB) - Personnel Development Program Data Collection System (PDPDCS) (PDF, 137.8KB), October 29, 2019
- Rehabilitation Services Administration Management Information System (RSA-MIS) (PDF, 113KB), May 6, 2020
- National Clearinghouse for Rehabilitation Training Materials (NCRTM) (MS Word, 358KB), June 7, 2019
Office of the Under Secretary (OUS)
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Competitiveness Scholars (PDF, 143KB), March 13, 2019