Privacy Act of 1974; Systems of Records

Official abstract: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), CRT proposes to establish a new system of records titled "Civil Rights Division Reporting Portal," JUSTICE/CRT-012. This system of records modernizes how the Division receives reports of alleged civil rights violations from the public. It operates as a web application and database where the public will be able to access a streamlined, responsive web form to report potential violations of federal civil rights laws and securely submit the completed form to the database. The system also allows CRT to add reports received through non-web channels, such as hardcopy mail, telephone, email, or fax to the portal's database. This system enables the Division to more efficiently review and process reports to determine whether a report may contain information that supports further inquiry by CRT or pertains to ongoing investigations and legal proceedings on various issues related to protecting civil rights. This system will also allow the Division to provide status updates to the public, track portal metrics, and analyze progress on the concerns raised by the reports.