Data Security Requirements for Accessing Confidential Data

Title III of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (hereafter referred to as the Evidence Act) mandated that OMB establish a Standard Application Process (SAP) for requesting access to certain confidential data assets. Specifically, the Evidence Act requires OMB to establish a common application process through which agencies, the Congressional Budget Office, State, local, and Tribal governments, researchers, and other individuals, as appropriate, may apply for access to certain confidential data assets collected, accessed, or acquired by a statistical agency or unit. This process maintains stringent controls to protect confidentiality and privacy, as required by the law governing the data-owning agency. Data collected, accessed, or acquired by statistical agencies and units is vital for developing evidence on conditions, characteristics, and behaviors of the public and on the operations and outcomes of public programs and policies. This evidence can benefit the stakeholders in the programs, the broader public, as well as policymakers and program managers at the local, State, Tribal, and National levels. The many potential benefits of access to data for evidence building notwithstanding, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are required by the law governing their activities to maintain controls to protect the confidentiality and privacy of the data they collect. The SAP Portal is a web-based application for the public to request access to confidential data assets from federal statistical agencies and units. The objective of the SAP Portal is to increase public access to confidential data for the purposes of evidence building and reduce the burden of applying for such access. Once an individual’s application in the SAP Portal has received a positive determination by the data-owning agency, the data-owning agency(ies) or unit(s) will begin the process of collecting information to fulfill their data security requirements.