January 28, 2020

CFTC Becomes First Federal Agency to Adopt NIST Privacy Framework

Washington, D.C. — In recognition of Data Privacy Day, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced it will become the first federal agency to adopt the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Privacy Framework. The framework is a voluntary tool designed to improve privacy through enterprise risk management. The CFTC will integrate the framework into its enterprise risk portfolio and use it to better manage and communicate privacy risk throughout the agency.

“I am proud the CFTC is taking the lead by becoming the first federal agency to adopt the NIST Privacy Framework,” said CFTC Chairman Heath P. Tarbert. “Adopting this framework will put us on the cutting edge of data privacy protection.”

“Protecting individuals’ privacy is of utmost importance to the CFTC and we are excited to integrate the Privacy Framework into our existing operations,” added CFTC Chief Privacy Officer Charles Cutshall.

“We’re glad that CFTC leadership has decided to adopt the NIST Privacy Framework and look forward to supporting the agency’s ongoing efforts to use the framework to further strengthen its privacy program,” said Naomi Lefkovitz, a senior privacy policy adviser at NIST and leader of the agency’s framework effort.

NIST is a physical science laboratory housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce that is dedicated to promoting U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve Americans’ quality of life.

Observed annually on January 28, Data Privacy Day is an international effort to empower individuals and encourage businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust. The CFTC is a 2020 Data Privacy Day Champion and recognizes and supports the principle that all organizations share the responsibility of being conscientious stewards of personal information and respecting the privacy of others.

More information about the CFTC’s privacy program can be found at www.cftc.gov/privacy.

-CFTC-