# 2026-03080: Commerce Dept Dusts Off Privacy Act Wordings

2026-03080, Updating and Streamlining the Department of Commerce's Privacy Act Regulations, is a Federal Register rule from Commerce Department published 2026-02-17, effective 2026-02-17 (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03080
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-03080
- Title: Updating and Streamlining the Department of Commerce's Privacy Act Regulations
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Commerce Department
- Citation: 91 FR 7115
- Published: 2026-02-17
- Effective: 2026-02-17
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: 0605-AA84
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Commerce Dept Dusts Off Privacy Act Wordings

## Summary

The Department of Commerce is cleaning up its Privacy Act rules to make them clearer and easier to follow. They’re updating job titles, removing confusing legal language, and fixing some outdated references—all without changing your privacy rights. These changes take effect on February 17, 2026, and help everyone understand the rules better without costing extra time or money.

## Abstract

By this rule, the Department of Commerce ("Department") amends its regulations implementing the Privacy Act of 1974. Specifically, this rule amends those regulations by updating the position title of an agency official, removing unnecessary language related to judicial review, eliminating a provision that merely cross- references and restates statutory criminal penalty provisions, updating the name and number of an existing Privacy Act system of records, and updating the list of denying officials set forth in an appendix to the regulations. This action is necessary to ensure that the Department's regulations are up-to-date, to reduce regulatory complexity and clutter, and to minimize the potential for confusion among the public. This action is intended to promote regulatory accuracy, clarity, and efficiency without diminishing any substantive right or obligation established by the Privacy Act.

## Effects PRIA read

No economic effects identified for this document.

## Related documents

- [2026-14204](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14204): Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary; Delay of Effective Date, 2026-07-15
- [2026-14195](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14195): Rescinding the Definition of “Harm” Under the Endangered Species Act, 2026-07-14
- [2026-07536](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07536): Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys in the Gulf of America, 2026-04-17
- [2026-05599](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-05599): Deep Seabed Mining: Notice of Receipt of Applications for Deep Seabed Mining Exploration Licenses and Announcement of Public Comment Period…, 2026-03-23
- [2026-04256](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-04256): Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Spatial Fisheries Management; Amendment 15 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fi…, 2026-03-04
- [2025-06746](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-06746): Rescinding the Definition of “Harm” Under the Endangered Species Act, 2025-04-17

## Sources
- [2026-03080 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/17/2026-03080/updating-and-streamlining-the-department-of-commerces-privacy-act-regulations)
- [2026-03080 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-02-17/pdf/2026-03080.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-03069, Implementation of the Final Acts of the World Radiocommunication Conference (Ge…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03069)
- [Next: C1-2025-20399, Glufosinate; Pesticide Tolerances](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/C1-2025-20399)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-03080 (as of 2026-06-11).