Final rule · 2026-03080

Updating and Streamlining the Department of Commerce's Privacy Act Regulations

By this rule, the Department of Commerce ("Department") amends its regulations implementing the Privacy Act of 1974. Specifically, this rule amends those regulations by updating the position title of an agency official, removing unnecessary language related to judicial review, eliminating a provision that merely cross- references and restates statutory criminal penalty provisions, updating the name and number of an existing Privacy Act system of records, and updating the list of denying officials set forth in an appendix to the regulations. This action is necessary to ensure that the Department's regulations are up-to-date, to reduce regulatory complexity and clutter, and to minimize the potential for confusion among the public. This action is intended to promote regulatory accuracy, clarity, and efficiency without diminishing any substantive right or obligation established by the Privacy Act.