Updating and Streamlining the Department of Commerce's Privacy Act Regulations

What it does

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.

The Commerce Department's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

1 part of Title 15 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

15 CFR 4

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Commerce Department has published 19 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 2 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

No earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 0605-AA84 since Jan. 1, 2025.

Since then:

• March 5, 2026 Correcting amendment. Updating and Streamlining the Department of Commerce's Privacy Act Regulations; Correction

What happens next and when

The rule is effective February 17, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Title 15 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register