(a) All records which are maintained by the Commission in a system of records will contain only such information about an individual that is relevant and necessary to accomplish a purpose of the Commission as required to be accomplished by statute or by executive order of the President. Pursuant to § 3b.3(a)(4) of this part, the Commission will identify in the Federal Register the specific provisions in law which authorize it to maintain information in a system of records. In determining the relevance and necessity of records, the following considerations will govern:

(1) Whether each item of information relates to the purposes, in law, for which the system is maintained;

(2) The adverse consequences, if any, of not collecting the information;

(3) Whether the need for the information could be met through the maintenance of the information in a non-individually identifiable form;

(4) Whether the information in the record is required to be collected on every individual who is the subject of a record in the system or whether a sampling procedure would suffice;

(5) The length of time it is necessary to retain the information;

(6) The financial cost of maintaining the record as compared to the adverse consequences of not maintaining it; and

(7) Whether the information, while generally relevant and necessary to accomplish a statutory purpose, is specifically relevant and necessary only in certain cases.

(b) All records which the Commission maintains in a system of records and which are used to make a determination about an individual will be maintained with such accuracy, relevance, timeliness, and completeness as is reasonably necessary to assure fairness to the individual in the determination. Where practicable, in questionable instances, reverification of pertinent information with the individual to whom the record pertains may be appropriate. In pursuit of completeness in the collection of information, the Commission will limit its records to those elements of information which clearly bear on the determination for which the records are intended to be used, assuring that all elements necessary to the determination are present before the determination is made.

(c) Prior to disseminating any records in a system of records, the Commission will make reasonable efforts to assure that such records are as accurate, relevant, timely, and complete as appropriate for the purposes for which they are collected and/or maintained, except when they are disclosed to a member of the public under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended, or to another agency.

(d) No records of the Commission in a system of records shall describe how any individual exercises his First Amendment rights unless expressly authorized by statute or by the individual about whom the record is maintained or unless pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity. The exercise of these rights includes, but is not limited to, religious and political beliefs, freedom of speech and of the press, and freedom of assembly and petition. In determining whether or not a particular activity constitutes the exercise of a right guaranteed by the First Amendment, the Commission will apply the broadest reasonable interpretation.

(a) Any information collected by the Commission for inclusion in a system of records which may result in adverse determinations about an individual's rights, benefits, and privileges under Federal programs, will, to the greatest extent practicable, be collected directly from the subject individual (see paragraph (d) of this section).

(b) The Commission will inform each individual whom it asks to supply information about himself, on the form which it uses to collect the information, or on a separate sheet that can be easily retained by the individual, in language which is explicit, informative, and easily understood, and not so lengthy as to deter an individual from reading it, of:

(1) The specific provision of the statute or executive order of the President, including the brief title or subject of that statute or order which authorizes the solicitation of the information; whether disclosure of such information is mandatory or voluntary; and whether the Commission is authorized or required to impose penalties for failing to respond;

(2) The principal purpose or purposes for which the information is intended to be used;

(3) The routine uses which may be made of the information, as described in the Federal Register in the notice of the system of records in which the information is maintained, and which are relatable and necessary to a purpose described pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section; and

(4) The effects (beneficial and adverse) on the individual if any, of not providing all or any part of the requested information.

(c) Social security numbers will not be required from individuals whom the Commission asks to supply information unless the disclosure of the number is required by Federal statute or unless disclosure is to the Commission maintaining a system of records in existence and operating before January 1, 1975, if such disclosure was required pursuant to a statute or regulation adopted prior to such date to verify the identity of an individual. When an individual is requested to disclose his social security number to the Commission, he will be informed under what statutory or other authority such number is solicited, what uses will be made of it, whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary, and if it is mandatory, under what provisions of law or regulation.

(d) The use of third-party sources to collect information about an individual may be appropriate in certain circumstances. In determining when the use of third-party sources would be appropriate, the following considerations will govern:

(1) When the information needed can only be obtained from a third party;

(2) When the cost of collecting the information directly from the individual concerned far exceeds the cost of collecting it from a third party;

(3) When there is little risk that the information proposed to be collected from the third party, if inaccurate, could result in an adverse determination about the individual concerned.

(4) When there is a need to insure the accuracy of information supplied by an individual by verifying it with a third party, or there is a need to obtain a qualitative assessment of the individual's capabilities or character; or

(5) When there are provisions for verifying any third-party information with the individual concerned before making a determination based on that information.

Third party sources, where feasible, will be informed of the purposes for which information which they are asked to provide will be used. In appropriate circumstances, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(k) (2), (5), and (7), the Commission may assure a third party that his identity will not be revealed to the subject of the collected information.

(a) The Executive Director of the Commission has the overall administrative responsibility for implementing the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and overseeing the conduct of all Commission employees with respect to the act.

(b) It is the responsibility of the Comptroller of the Commission, under the guidance of the Executive Director, to prepare the appropriate internal administrative procedures to assure that all persons involved in the design, development, or operation of any system of records, or in collecting, using, or disseminating any individual record, and who have access to any system of records, are informed of all rules and requirements of the Commission to protect the privacy of the individuals who are the subjects of the records, including the applicable provisions of the FERC Standards of Conduct for Employees, Special Government Employees and Commissioners.

(c) The Director, Human Resources Division, is responsible for establishing and conducting an adequate training program for such persons whose official duties require access to and collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of such records.

(d) The General Counsel of the Commission is responsible for providing legal interpretation of the Privacy Act of 1974, and for preparing all agency rules and notices for official publication in compliance with the act.

(e) Commission employees will be informed of all the implications of their actions in this area, including especially:

(1) That there are criminal penalties for knowing and willful unauthorized disclosure of material within a system of records; for willful failure to publish a public notice of the existence of a system of records; and for knowingly and willfully requesting or obtaining records under false pretenses;

(2) That the Commission may be subject to civil suit due to failure to amend an individual's record in accordance with his request or failure to review his request in conformity with § 3b.224; refusal to comply with an individual's request of access to a record under § 3b.221; willful or intentional failure to maintain a record accurately pursuant to § 3b.201(b) and consequently a determination is made which is adverse to the individual; or willful or intentional failure to comply with any other provision of the Privacy Act of 1974, or any rule promulgated thereunder, in such a way as to have an adverse effect upon an individual.

[Order 536, 40 FR 44288, Sept. 25, 1975, as amended by Order 737, 75 FR 43402, July 26, 2010]

(a) The administrative and physical controls to protect the information in the manual and computer-based record systems from unauthorized access or disclosure will be specified for each system in the Federal Register. The system managers, who are responsible for providing protection and accountability of such records at all times and for insuring that the records are secured in proper containers whenever they are not in use or under direct control of authorized persons, will be identified for each system of records in the Federal Register.

(b) Whenever records in the manual or computer-based record systems, including input and output documents, punched cards, and magnetic tapes or disks, are not under the personal control of an authorized person, they will be stored in lockable containers and/or in a secured room, or in alternative storage systems which furnish an equivalent or greater degree of physical security. In this regard, the Commission may refer to security guidelines prepared by the General Services Administration, the Department of Commerce (National Bureau of Standards), or other agencies with appropriate knowledge and expertise.

(c) Access to and use of records will only be permitted to persons pursuant to §§ 3b.221, 3b.224, and 3b.225. Access to areas where records are stored will be limited to those persons whose official duties require work in such areas. Proper control of data, in any form, associated with the manual and computer-based record systems will be maintained at all times, including maintenance of an accounting of removal of the records from the storage area.