Report notes progress at DHS privacy office
Remaining challenges include issuing timely reports and updating public notices for old databases.
The Homeland Security Department's privacy office has made significant progress in carrying out its statutory responsibilities but more work remains, a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday said.
The office has established a compliance framework for conducting privacy impact assessments, which has increased demand for its input in a number of areas. The resulting workload "is likely to prove difficult to process in a timely manner," GAO said.
Limited progress also has been made in updating public notices required by the Privacy Act for databases that existed prior to the creation of the agency. Additionally, the office has not been timely in issuing public reports. One document, focusing on a pilot project for law enforcement sharing of public records data, was issued long after the program was terminated, GAO noted.