BJS encourages comments for 60 days through January 16, 2023, on the data security requirements for accessing confidential data. Your comments on BJS’s request to the Office of Management and Budget, which is published in the Federal Register, should respond to one or more of the following:
- evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of BJS, including whether the information will have practical utility
- evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information
- evaluate whether, and if so how, the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected can be enhanced
- minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
Once an application for confidential data is approved through the Standard Application Process (SAP) Portal, BJS will collect information to meet its data security requirements when providing access to restricted use (confidential) microdata for the purpose of evidence building. This collection will occur outside of the SAP Portal. BJS’s data security agreements and other paperwork along with the corresponding security protocols allow the agency to maintain careful controls on confidentiality and privacy, as required by law.