Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to establish a new DHS system of records titled, ``Department of Homeland Security/ALL-041 External Biometric Records (EBR) System of Records.'' This system of records allows the DHS to receive, maintain, and disseminate biometric and associated biographic information from non-DHS entities, both foreign and domestic, for the following purposes pursuant to formal or informal information sharing agreements or arrangements (``external information''), or with the express approval of the entity from which the Department received biometric and associated biographic information: Law enforcement; national security; immigration screening; border enforcement; intelligence; national defense; and background investigations relating to national security positions, credentialing, and certain positions of public trust, consistent with applicable DHS authorities. Department of Homeland Security/ALL-041 External Biometric Records (EBR) System of Records (SOR) is one of two replacement system of records notices (SORN) for DHS/US-VISIT-001 DHS Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT). This SORN applies to records provided to DHS by non-DHS entities that do not fall under existing Component/DHS SORNs. The other replacement for the IDENT SORN will be a forthcoming technical SORN focused on the technical aspects of the IDENT system. After the technical SORN is published, DHS will rescind the IDENT SORN by publishing a notice of rescindment in the Federal Register. Components are responsible for maintaining SORN coverage for biometric and associated biographic information collected by that Component. Additionally, DHS is issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to exempt this system of records from certain provisions of the Privacy Act, elsewhere in the Federal Register. This newly established system will be included in the Department of Homeland Security's inventory of record systems.