Privacy Impact Assessments

Federal agencies are required by law to ensure the protection of the personally identifiable information (PII) they collect, store, and transmit. With a thriving digital economy, agencies are collecting ever-larger amounts of personal information unlike ever before. Instances of past abuse, misuse, and egregious errors in federal agencies' management of personal information, combined with growing public concern about the U.S. government's ability to protect their private information, have increased congressional scrutiny and expectations for compliance with federal privacy laws and regulations. Protection of the Government's vast accumulation of personal information begins with the responsibility of federal employees at all levels and in all positions.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is responsible for ensuring proper protections of the information contained within its information systems, including PII. To that end, the Department developed a Privacy Impact Methodology to assess whether a system that contains PII meets legal privacy requirements. The findings of the assessments are outlined in the Executive Summary Reports.