Handbook for Safeguarding Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information at the Department of Homeland Security

Citation

DHS Privacy Office, Handbook for Safeguarding Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information at the Department of Homeland Security (Oct. 31, 2008) (full-text).

Overview

This Handbook sets the standards for how DHS personnel should handle PII that requires stricter handling guidelines because of the nature of the data and the increased risk to an individual if his or her data were compromised. The Handbook provided step-by-step guidance on how to identify and protect sensitive PII:

• In the office or an alternate worksite
• On a portable device, such as Blackberry or laptop
• When sent by email, fax, or other electronic transfer
• When sent by mail: external, overseas and inter-office
• When stored on a shared drive
• When an employee is on official travel

The Handbook also provided simple instructions on:

• Encrypting sensitive PII
• Disposing of sensitive PII

The Handbook was intended to help safeguard sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) in paper and electronic form.

This Handbook was updated in 2012 by the Handbook for Safeguarding Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information.