NLM Lost People Finder012710 PA

DATE: January 27, 2010

TO: David H. Sharlip

OMB Project Clearance Officer, NLM

FROM: NIH Privacy Act Officer

SUBJECT: Applicability of the Privacy Act: NLM “Lost People-Finder System”

I have reviewed the NLM submission to OMB entitled “Lost People-Finder System” which involves the collection of personal information to assist in ongoing relief efforts and reunite family members separated during the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

I have determined the Privacy Act will apply to this data collection, which includes the collection of personally identifiable information (PII) such as name, photograph and gender. Photographs and textual information describing “found” victims of the disaster can be submitted via e-mail from computers or camera-enabled cell phones. The search mechanism allows on-line retrieval of possible matches using descriptive information, such as name, age group, gender, and location. Data would be shared with other lost person finder systems endorsed by other Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of State and made available to the public via a specialized search interface to allow users to search for and locate family members and other loved ones.

The data collection is covered by NIH Privacy Act Systems of Record 09-25-0200, “Clinical, Basic and Population-based Research Studies of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), HHS/NIH/OD.”

If you have any questions, please contact my office at (301) 496-2832.

Karen M. Plá

Enclosure