Title 6Domestic SecurityRelease 119-73

§1506 Oversight of government activities

Title 6 › Chapter CHAPTER 6— - CYBERSECURITY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - CYBERSECURITY INFORMATION SHARING › § 1506

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Federal agencies must report to Congress about how they share cyber threat information. Not later than 1 year after December 18, 2015, the heads of the agencies involved must send a detailed report. It can include suggestions for fixes. It must evaluate how well the real-time sharing system set up under section 1504(c) works and any problems with it. It must check whether threat information or defensive measures were classified correctly and list how many security clearances exist to share that information with private companies. It must say how many indicators or defensive measures were received through the section 1504(c) system and name the federal agencies that got them. The agencies’ inspectors general, working with the Intelligence Community Inspector General and the Council of Inspectors General on Financial Oversight, must send Congress a joint report not later than 2 years after December 18, 2015 and then at least every 2 years. That report must review policies and procedures for sharing and for removing personal information that is not about a cyber threat. It must look at classification and clearances, how the government used and shared the information (including timing and appropriateness), how many items were shared through section 1504(c), any improper sharing or major violations, how often shared information led to prosecutions (per the Attorney General), the privacy and civil liberties effects (including notices about failures to remove personal data), and any steps taken to reduce harms or remove barriers between agencies. The Comptroller General must report to Congress not later than 3 years after December 18, 2015 on actions to remove personal information and whether privacy protections are adequate. All reports must be unclassified but may include a classified annex, and the unclassified parts must be made public.

Full Legal Text

Title 6, §1506

Domestic Security — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Not later than 1 year after December 18, 2015, the heads of the appropriate Federal entities shall jointly submit to Congress a detailed report concerning the implementation of this subchapter.
(2)The report required by paragraph (1) may include such recommendations as the heads of the appropriate Federal entities may have for improvements or modifications to the authorities, policies, procedures, and guidelines under this subchapter and shall include the following:
(A)An evaluation of the effectiveness of real-time information sharing through the capability and process developed under section 1504(c) of this title, including any impediments to such real-time sharing.
(B)An assessment of whether cyber threat indicators or defensive measures have been properly classified and an accounting of the number of security clearances authorized by the Federal Government for the purpose of sharing cyber threat indicators or defensive measures with the private sector.
(C)The number of cyber threat indicators or defensive measures received through the capability and process developed under section 1504(c) of this title.
(D)A list of Federal entities that have received cyber threat indicators or defensive measures under this subchapter.
(b)(1)Not later than 2 years after December 18, 2015 and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the inspectors general of the appropriate Federal entities, in consultation with the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community and the Council of Inspectors General on Financial Oversight, shall jointly submit to Congress an interagency report on the actions of the executive branch of the Federal Government to carry out this subchapter during the most recent 2-year period.
(2)Each report submitted under paragraph (1) shall include, for the period covered by the report, the following:
(A)An assessment of the sufficiency of the policies, procedures, and guidelines relating to the sharing of cyber threat indicators within the Federal Government, including those policies, procedures, and guidelines relating to the removal of information not directly related to a cybersecurity threat that is personal information of a specific individual or information that identifies a specific individual.
(B)An assessment of whether cyber threat indicators or defensive measures have been properly classified and an accounting of the number of security clearances authorized by the Federal Government for the purpose of sharing cyber threat indicators or defensive measures with the private sector.
(C)A review of the actions taken by the Federal Government based on cyber threat indicators or defensive measures shared with the Federal Government under this subchapter, including a review of the following:
(i)The appropriateness of subsequent uses and disseminations of cyber threat indicators or defensive measures.
(ii)Whether cyber threat indicators or defensive measures were shared in a timely and adequate manner with appropriate entities, or, if appropriate, were made publicly available.
(D)An assessment of the cyber threat indicators or defensive measures shared with the appropriate Federal entities under this subchapter, including the following:
(i)The number of cyber threat indicators or defensive measures shared through the capability and process developed under section 1504(c) of this title.
(ii)An assessment of any information not directly related to a cybersecurity threat that is personal information of a specific individual or information identifying a specific individual and was shared by a non-Federal government 11 So in original. Probably should be capitalized. entity with the Federal government 1 in contravention of this subchapter, or was shared within the Federal Government in contravention of the guidelines required by this subchapter, including a description of any significant violation of this subchapter.
(iii)The number of times, according to the Attorney General, that information shared under this subchapter was used by a Federal entity to prosecute an offense listed in section 1504(d)(5)(A) of this title.
(iv)A quantitative and qualitative assessment of the effect of the sharing of cyber threat indicators or defensive measures with the Federal Government on privacy and civil liberties of specific individuals, including the number of notices that were issued with respect to a failure to remove information not directly related to a cybersecurity threat that was personal information of a specific individual or information that identified a specific individual in accordance with the procedures required by section 1504(b)(3)(E) of this title.
(v)The adequacy of any steps taken by the Federal Government to reduce any adverse effect from activities carried out under this subchapter on the privacy and civil liberties of United States persons.
(E)An assessment of the sharing of cyber threat indicators or defensive measures among Federal entities to identify inappropriate barriers to sharing information.
(3)Each report submitted under this subsection may include such recommendations as the inspectors general may have for improvements or modifications to the authorities and processes under this subchapter.
(c)Not later than 3 years after December 18, 2015, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on the actions taken by the Federal Government to remove personal information from cyber threat indicators or defensive measures pursuant to this subchapter. Such report shall include an assessment of the sufficiency of the policies, procedures, and guidelines established under this subchapter in addressing concerns relating to privacy and civil liberties.
(d)Each report required under this section shall be submitted in an unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
(e)The unclassified portions of the reports required under this section shall be made available to the public.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

6 U.S.C. § 1506

Title 6Domestic Security

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73