In 2002 Congress passed the E-Government Act with the goal of promoting use of internet and electronic government services, to further transparency and accountability in the Federal Government, and provide citizens with enhanced access to government information and services.
"Electronic rulemaking, or “e-rulemaking,” is the term used to describe the use of information technology (IT) to facilitate a range of activities. The Federal e-Rulemaking initiative facilitates public participation in the federal regulatory process by improving the public’s ability to find, view, understand and comment on federal regulatory actions and rulemaking materials." (Department of Defense, Electronic Rulemaking, n.d.)
Section 208 of the E-Government Act requires "all federal agencies to conduct "privacy impact assessments" (PIA) for all new or substantially changed technology that collects, maintains, or disseminates personally identifiable information (PII), or for a new aggregation of information that is collected, maintained, or disseminated using information technology." (U.S. Department of Justice). The PIA allows citizens to understand how their private information is being stored and protected. Agencies provide access to their Privacy impact assessments (PIA) on their official websites.
See Regulations.gov to learn more about the e-Rulemaking Initiative.
