[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 189 (Thursday, October 1, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 50780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23674]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau

[Docket No.: 0909181279-91281-01]


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of New Privacy Act System of Records; COMMERCE/CENSUS-
12, Foreign Trade Statistics.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) publishes this notice to 
announce the effective date of a Privacy Act System of Records notice 
entitled, COMMERCE/CENSUS-12, Foreign Trade Statistics.

DATES: The system of records becomes effective on October 1, 2009.

ADDRESSES: For a copy of the system of records please mail requests to: 
Chief Privacy Officer, Privacy Office, Room HQ-8H168, U.S. Census 
Bureau, Washington, DC 20233-3700.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 23, 2009, the Department of Commerce 
published and requested comments on a proposed Privacy Act System of 
Records notice entitled COMMERCE/CENSUS-12, Foreign Trade Statistics. 
Commerce received one comment in response to this notice. The commenter 
recommended that the Census Bureau develop an alternative approach for 
filers to eliminate the public display of a filer's Social Security 
Number (SSN) and Employer Identification Number (EIN), as well as 
discontinue collecting SSN for identification purposes during the 
Automated Export System (AES) registration process.
    In response to this comment, Commerce noted that previously 
pursuant to an interim agreement between the U.S. Census Bureau and the 
Commenter, individuals who were required to file information about 
exports, but who could not do so electronically through the AES, filed 
the required information via mail and included an AES Downtime Citation 
on these filings. The AES Downtime Citation could include a customer's 
SSN, and thus the SSN might become visible to the public. The commenter 
has worked the past year and a half to develop an automated collection 
system that allows exporters to electronically submit the required 
information. This system eliminates the need for the interim solution 
and the possible public display of SSN when the AES is down. As part of 
a collaborative effort with the U.S. Census Bureau, the commenter 
agreed it would collect the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) for those 
shipments that require the proof of filing citation. The ITN is the 
AES-generated confirmation number the filer receives when information 
is accurately filed in the system. It would be assumed where no ITN is 
submitted, an AES filing is not required and no information would be 
collected. In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau has informed the 
commenter of its publication, on August 5, 2009 in the Federal 
Register, of an Interim Final Rule amending 15, CFR part 30, Foreign 
Trade Regulations, to eliminate the collection of SSNs for 
identification purposes in the AES. The rule carries out the purposes 
of the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, to ensure that the U.S. 
Principal Party in Interest's (USPPI) or U.S. authorized agent's 
personal information, such as its SSN, is protected. Under changes 
outlined in the rule, all USPPI and U.S. authorized agents who 
currently report an SSN when filing in the AES must instead provide an 
EIN or Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, which is supplied 
by Dun & Bradstreet. By this notice, the Department is adopting the 
proposed system as final without changes effective October 1, 2009.

    Dated: September 25, 2009.
Brenda Dolan,
Department of Commerce, Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-23674 Filed 9-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P