Proposed Federal Acquisition Rule Would Require Contractor Privacy Training

A proposed Federal Acquisition Regulation rule, published on October 14, 2011 in the Federal Register, would require that federal government contractors who work with government records or personal information complete privacy training. The proposed rule would deny contractors access to the records until they completed the training. The rule would also mandate seven areas the privacy training must cover, including the handling and safeguarding of personally identifiable information, the authorized and official use of a government records system, and restrictions on the use of personally-owned equipment to process, access, or store personally identifiable information. Comments on the proposed rule are due December 13, 2011.

TIP: If the proposed rule is accepted, employers who have federal government contracts must implement privacy training for all employees who come into contact with personal information.