[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 247 (Thursday, December 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80380-80381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32410]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY


Notice of Availability for Best Practices for Protecting Privacy, 
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Programs

AGENCY:  Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, DHS; Privacy 
Office, DHS; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the 
Privacy Office (Privacy), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 
announce the availability of the following document: ``Best Practices 
for Protecting Privacy, Civil Rights & Civil Liberties in Unmanned 
Aircraft Systems Programs.'' DHS has made the best practices document 
available on the Internet at the following locations: http://www.dhs.gov/security-intelligence-and-information-policy-section and 
http://www.dhs.gov/privacy-foia-reports.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Becker, Senior Policy Advisor, 
Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, [email protected]; 
Scott Mathews, Senior Policy Advisor for Privacy, Privacy Office 
[email protected]; or Stephen Boyer, Director of Marine 
Operations, Office of Air and Marine, U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The development of a new technology, 
significant improvement of a current technology, or the new application 
of an existing technology often results in concerns about the impact on 
individual privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. The integration 
of government and commercial unmanned aircraft systems into the 
National Airspace System by 2015, as required by the Federal Aviation 
Administration Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, has prompted 
questions about how this might impact individual rights. In this 
regard, CRCL, Privacy, and CBP jointly established the

[[Page 80381]]

DHS Unmanned Aircraft Systems Privacy, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties 
Working Group in September 2012 to ``provide leadership to the homeland 
security enterprise by clarifying the privacy, civil rights, and civil 
liberties legal and policy issues surrounding government use of 
[Unmanned Aircraft Systems].'' The Working Group drafted the best 
practices.
    DHS publishes these best practices to inform DHS and our local, 
state, and federal government partners and grantees interested in 
establishing unmanned aircraft programs grounded in policies and 
procedures that are respectful of privacy, civil rights, and civil 
liberties. These best practices are not prescriptive, but represent an 
optimal approach to sustaining privacy, civil rights, and civil 
liberties throughout the lifecycle of an unmanned aircraft systems 
program. Although the intended audience is DHS and other government 
agencies, the private sector may also find these practices instructive 
in creating or operating unmanned aircraft programs.
    The best practices document is consistent with the February 15, 
2015 Presidential Memorandum, Promoting Economic Competitiveness while 
Safeguarding Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties in Domestic Use 
of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
    This best practices document was reviewed by the Office of 
Management and Budget pursuant to Executive Order 12866, Regulatory 
Planning and Review.

 Christina E. McDonald,
 Associate General Counsel for Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2015-32410 Filed 12-23-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-9K-P