[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 147 (Tuesday, July 31, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 36947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16351]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Customs and Border Protection


Notice of Availability of Updated Privacy Impact Assessment for 
the Southwest Border Pedestrian Exit Field Test

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has made available an 
updated Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the Southwest Border 
Pedestrian Exit Field Test. This updated PIA, which changes the 
retention period for certain biometric data gathered during the test, 
was published on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Privacy 
Office's website on March 5, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debra Danisek, Privacy Officer, U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, at [email protected] or (202) 
344-1191.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 
conducted a test to collect certain biometric information at the Otay 
Mesa port of entry from December 2015 through June 2016 (``Southwest 
Border Pedestrian Exit Field Test''). This test was announced in a 
notice published in the Federal Register on November 13, 2015 (``2015 
Notice'').\1\ CBP published a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for this 
test on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Privacy Office's 
website on November 6, 2015.\2\ The purpose of the test was to 
determine if collecting biometrics in conjunction with biographic data 
upon exit from the United States would assist CBP in matching 
subsequent border crossing information records with previously 
collected entry records. The biometrics collected provide CBP with a 
baseline of images collected in a live environment that can be compared 
with existing images. CBP stated in the 2015 Notice and in the PIA that 
it would retain data collected during the test for one year.
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    \1\ 80 FR 70241. In the 2015 Notice, the test was referred to as 
the ``Test to Collect Biometric Information at the Otay Mesa Port of 
Entry.''
    \2\ This PIA is available at: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/dhscbppia-027-southwest-border-pedestrian-exit-field-test.
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    Since the conclusion of the Southwest Border Pedestrian Exit Field 
Test, CBP has continued to explore the best collection methods and 
modalities for a biometric entry-exit program. CBP has found that the 
data collected in the Southwest Border Pedestrian Exit Field Test 
continues to have value because it provides CBP with a rich source of 
data for ongoing analysis in its efforts to implement an effective 
biometric entry-exit program. CBP and its vendors are able to use this 
data for analysis prior to expending additional time and resources to 
test various systems in the field. Therefore, CBP revised its retention 
policy for this data and published an updated PIA on the DHS Privacy 
Office's website on March 5, 2018. The updated PIA provides that CBP is 
retaining the biometric data gathered under the Southwest Border 
Pedestrian Exit Field Test until April 2020. It further provides that 
CBP is not storing the associated biographic information.
    The updated PIA is available at: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/dhscbppia-027-southwest-border-pedestrian-exit-field-test.

    Dated: July 26, 2018.
Debra Danisek,
CBP Privacy Officer, Privacy and Diversity Office, Office of the 
Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 2018-16351 Filed 7-30-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9111-14-P