The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a notice of proposed rule-making to seek comments on changes to FCC rules implementing the Privacy Act of 1974.
FCC has proposed to update its list of exempted systems by eliminating systems of records that have become outdated since the enactment of the privacy rules, according to the notice released Thursday.
The commission has proposed several clarifying updates to allow the public to better understand their rights under the Privacy Act and to align its privacy rules with guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget and current practices.
“We believe these proposals would not only bring the Commission’s rules up to date but would also make it easier for individuals to exercise their rights under the Privacy Act,” the notice reads.
Some of the proposed amendments to FCC’s privacy rules cover definitions of several terms, request for notification of and access to records, disclosure of record information to individuals, request to correct or amend records, administrative review of an initial decision not to provide access or amend a record, advice and assistance and penalty for false representation of identity.
Specific changes to the commission’s privacy rules include replacing the term “system manager” with “privacy analyst,” allowing individuals to submit an Identity Affirmation form instead of providing two forms of identification to verify their identity and proposing “an administrative review process that would treat denials of requests to access or amend a record under the Privacy Act in the same way the Commission treats other appeals of decisions made under delegated authority.”
