Our Commitment to Privacy

Privacy is more than a core value of the SAVE Program; it’s the law. Privacy principles and security measures are incorporated into all of our processes and procedures to guard your information and civil liberties. Our goal is to earn your T.R.U.S.T. through Transparency, Responsibility, Use, Security, and Training.

Transparency

SAVE makes a concerted effort to be transparent to the public by publishing a Privacy Impact Assessmentand a detailed System of Records Notice (SORN) that outlines how SAVE collects, uses and protects information. 

Responsibility

At all times, federal employees and contractors are held responsible for appropriately handling personal information while pursuing their official duties. Similarly, SAVE registered agencies must adhere to a Memorandum of Agreement or Computer Matching Agreement which binds them to responsibilities regarding proper information use and handling.

Use

SAVE only uses the data required to confirm an individual’s immigration status when applying for benefits and licenses issued by a federal, state or local government agency, or for other lawful purposes. Similarly, limited information is returned in response to queries.

Security

Because of the sensitivity of the information collected and used by SAVE, an extensive set of technical, operational and physical security controls are in place to ensure the integrity, confidentiality and availability of an individual’s information used by SAVE. Examples include:

• User-specific accounts and complex passwords that must be changed often
• User accounts that lock after several failed attempts to logon
• Active session timeouts within the SAVE interface
• Data encryption used both at rest and during all data transmissions
• Procedures for reporting and responding to breaches of information

Training

The SAVE Program offers training opportunities to prospective, new and current customer agencies including webinars and other customized training to meet an agency’s specific needs. Additionally, all Department of Homeland Security employees are required to pass annual Computer Security and Privacy training regarding the appropriate handling of personal information.