Privacy officers have frequently expressed concern that those running agency Web sites, called webmasters, pay little regard to existing privacy protection afforded under the laws such as the Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act. Webmasters on the other hand, often feel alone in the pursuit of public access, bereft of the resources really needed to do their job. Many agencies are now fearful of making individual data available through the Web and hope that other agencies will take the lead sorting out policies and tools. Fortunately, a draft version OMB's forthcoming Principles addresses some of these concerns directly, but still many questions remain. From our perspective the proper emphasis has been lost.
Individuals have a right to know about information collected by the government about themselves.
In addition, the guidance should clarify the requirement that agencies must provide a statement on how information that is being collected from the public is going to be used. Implementation of an enforcement mechanism to carry out the OMB guidance. Agencies are not likely to follow the OMB guidance unless it has teeth. The agency's IT budget would not be approved unless in compliance with the OMB guidance. Simply relying on the usual approaches of collegial influence and public embarrassment will not work and will only exacerbate current difficulties.