The U.S. Census Bureau seeks public comments on the data security requirements for accessing confidential data by September 8, 2026.
Title III of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 “requires OMB to establish a [Standard Application Process (SAP)] through which agencies, the Congressional Budget Office, State, local, and Tribal governments, researchers, and other individuals, as appropriate, may apply for access to certain confidential data assets collected, accessed, or acquired by a statistical agency or unit. This process maintains stringent controls to protect confidentiality and privacy, as required by the law governing the data-owning agency.”
“The SAP Portal is a web-based application for the public to request access to confidential data assets from federal statistical agencies and units. The objective of the SAP Portal is to increase public access to confidential data for the purposes of evidence building and reduce the burden of applying for such access. Once an individual’s application in the SAP Portal has received a positive determination by the data-owning agency, the data-owning agency(ies) or unit(s) will begin the process of collecting information to fulfill their data security requirements.”
The Federal Register Notice outlines “the process for BEA and Census to collect information fulfilling their data security requirements, consistent with their statutory requirements.”
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Data Security Requirements for Accessing Confidential Data https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/07/2026-13665/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for
