81 FR 80011 - Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 220 (November 15, 2016)

The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') is extending the deadline for filing public comments on its recent Request for Public Comment on the Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information (``Safeguards Rule'' or ``Rule'').

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 15, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 80011-80012]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27266]


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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

16 CFR Part 314

RIN 3084-AB35


Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Request for public comment; reopening for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') is 
extending the deadline for filing public comments on its recent Request 
for Public Comment on the Standards for Safeguarding Customer 
Information (``Safeguards Rule'' or ``Rule'').

DATES: The comment period for the request for public comment published 
in the Federal Register on September 7, 2016 (81 FR 61632), is 
reopened. Comments must be received on or before November 21, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a comment online or on paper by 
following the Instructions for Submitting Comments part of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. Write ``Safeguards Rule, 16 
CFR 314, Project No. P145407,'' on your comment and file your comment 
online at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/safeguardsrulenprm by 
following the instructions on the web-based form. If you prefer to file 
your comment on paper, mail your comment to the following address: 
Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania 
Avenue NW., Suite CC-5610 (Annex B), Washington, DC 20580, or deliver 
your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office 
of the Secretary, Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 5th Floor, 
Suite 5610 (Annex B), Washington, DC 20024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Lincicum or Katherine McCarron, 
Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, Bureau of Consumer 
Protection, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20580, (202) 326-2773 or (202) 326-2333.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Comment Period Extension

    On September 7, 2016 (81 FR 61632), as part of the Commission's 
systematic review of all current FTC rules and guides, the Commission 
published a Request for Comments requesting public comment on the 
overall costs, benefits, necessity, and regulatory impact of the 
Safeguards Rule, with a deadline for filing comments of November 7, 
2016. On September 12, 2016 (81 FR 63435), the Commission published a 
Request for Public Comment on its Disposal Rule, with a deadline for 
comments of November 21, 2016. On October 21, 2016, the American 
Financial Services Association, Consumer Data Industry Association, and 
the National Auto Dealer Association, requested that the comment period 
be extended until November 21, 2016 to coincide with the comment period 
for Disposal Rule Request for Comments. The requesters explained that 
the two rules are closely related and that comments on the two rules 
may overlap. Therefore, having the two comment periods coincide would 
make it easier for commenters to provide feedback on both rules.
    The Commission agrees that allowing additional time for filing 
comments on the Safeguards Rule would help facilitate the creation of a 
more complete record. In addition, extending the comment period would 
not harm consumers because the current Rule will remain in effect 
during the review process. Therefore, the Commission has decided to 
extend the comment period to November 21, 2016.

II. Request for Comment

    You can file a comment online or on paper. For the Commission to 
consider your comment, we must receive it on or before November 21, 
2016. Write ``Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR 314, Project No. P145407'' on the 
comment. Your comment, including your name and your state, will be 
placed on the public record of this proceeding, including, to the 
extent practicable, on the public Commission Web site, at https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments. As a matter of discretion, the 
Commission tries to remove individuals' home contact information from 
comments before placing them on the Commission Web site. Because your 
comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for making sure 
that your comment does not include any sensitive personal information, 
such as a Social Security number, date of birth, driver's license 
number or other state identification number or foreign country 
equivalent, passport number, financial account number, or payment card 
number. You are also solely responsible for making sure that your 
comment does not include any sensitive health information, such as 
medical records or other individually identifiable health information.
    In addition, do not include any ``[t]rade secret or any commercial 
or financial information which is . . . privileged or confidential,'' 
as discussed in Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC 
Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2). In particular, do not include 
competitively sensitive information such as costs, sales statistics, 
inventories, formulas, patterns, devices, manufacturing processes, or 
customer names.
    If you want the Commission to give your comment confidential 
treatment, you must file it in paper form, with a request for 
confidential treatment, and you must follow the procedure explained in 
FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c). In particular, the written request for 
confidential treatment that accompanies the comment must include the 
factual and legal basis for the request, and must identify the specific 
portions of the comments to be withheld from the public record. Your 
comment will be kept confidential only if the FTC General Counsel 
grants your request in accordance with the law and the public interest.
    Postal mail addressed to the Commission is subject to delay due to 
heightened security screening. As a result, we encourage you to submit 
your comment online. To make sure that the Commission considers your 
online comment, you must file it at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/safeguardsrulenprm by following the instructions on the web-based 
form. If this document appears at http://www.regulations.gov/#!home, 
you also may file a comment through that Web site.
    If you file your comment on paper, write ``Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR 
314, Project No. P145407'' on your comment and on the envelope, and 
mail your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, 
Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite CC-5610 
(Annex B), Washington, DC 20580, or deliver your comment to the 
following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 
Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex 
B), Washington, DC 20024.
    Visit the Commission Web site at http://www.ftc.gov to read this 
document and the news release describing it. The FTC Act and other laws 
that the Commission administers permit the collection of public

[[Page 80012]]

comments to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The 
Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments that 
it receives on or before November 21, 2016. For information on the 
Commission's privacy policy, including routine uses permitted by the 
Privacy Act, see http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.htm.

    By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-27266 Filed 11-14-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-P