Introduction

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became operational on January 24, 2003 60 days after the Senate passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002 into law. The Department of Homeland Security is the third largest cabinet department, only after the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law 107-296 was enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress. The Department of Homeland Security is an executive department of the United States within the meaning of title 5, United States Code.

MISSION

The primary mission of the Department is to (a) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; (b) reduce
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the National Environment Policy Act, the No FEAR Act, the Information Quality Standards and the Homeland Security Web Content Inventory and Public Schedule are all regulations that govern how the Department of Homeland Security operates. FOIA is used to ensure that DHS is in compliance with privacy issues. DHS have a privacy office that is responsible for evaluating proposed and existing Department technologies, programs, regulations, and legislation for potential privacy impacts. They use compliance documentation tools to identify and reduce privacy impacts: • Privacy Office Official Guidance’s ensure the safeguarding of personally identifiable information (PII) • Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) assess how PII is collected, used, disseminated, and maintained. Find them here, listed by date of issuance. • Systems of Records Notices (SORNs) are required for every system of records that collects PII. Find them here, listed in numerical order. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 is used to ensure that during DHS decision process that must consider the environmental, social, economic, and technical factors of all proposed actions. DHS has several environmental impact assessments which can be found on their website www.dhs.gov. The No FEAR Act is to ensure that DHS is treating their employees fair. All federal agencies must post a quarterly