« Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Program

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How to Submit Critical Infrastructure Information (CII) For PCII Protection

• Qualifying Information
• Submission Process
• Express Statement and Certification Statement
• Information-Sharing Partnerships

Private-sector companies, information sharing and analysis organizations, and state and local government entities are examples of organizations that can submit Critical Infrastructure Information (CII) for PCII protection. 

Qualifying Information

Information related to the security of critical infrastructure or protected systems, including documents, records or other information concerning threats, vulnerabilities and operational experience may be submitted for PCII protection. Qualifying information must be:

• voluntarily submitted,
• not customarily available in the public domain, and
• not submitted in lieu of compliance with any regulatory requirement.

Once a submission is evaluated and determined to meet all prescribed qualifications, the PCII Program Office will validate it and mark the information as PCII.  Submissions that do not meet requirements are destroyed or returned, determined by the submitter's written preference.

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Submission Process

Critical infrastructure information for PCII validation can be submitted in two ways:

• through a partnering federal government entity, or 
• directly to the PCII Program Office. 

Critical infrastructure information may be submitted to the Department of Homeland Security through approved partnerships with federal agencies. In these specific partnerships, the PCII Program Manager declares certain subject matter or types of information categorically protected as PCII and sets procedures for receiving and processing of this information.

Critical infrastructure information may be directly submitted to the PCII Program Office for protection via:

• Electronic Submittal
• Standard Mail:
  PCII Program Office
  Department of Homeland Security
  245 Murray Lane SW, Building 410
  Washington, DC 20528-0001
• Fax: 703-235-3050
• Phone: 202-360-3023

Phone submissions must be followed by a similar written statement within 15 calendar days after the submission.

Once the submission is validated, a reference identification number will be provided.

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Express Statement and Certification Statement

All information submitted for PCII protection must include:

• An Express Statement requesting the protection offered by the CII Act; and
• A Certification Statement including the submitter’s contact information and certifying that the information is not customarily in the public domain.

When accompanied by an Express Statement and a signed Certification Statement, the submission will be granted the presumption of protection throughout the entire validation process. If the Certification Statement is incomplete, the PCII Program Office will request that the submitter provide a complete Certification Statement within 30 calendar days.

If the submitter does not remedy the deficiency within 30 days of the request, the PCII Program Office will either return the information to the submitter in accordance with the submitting person or entity's written preference or destroy the submission in accordance with the Federal Records Act and Department of Homeland Security regulations.

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Information-Sharing Partnerships

The PCII Program works with federal government partners to integrate PCII protections into data-collection processes. Examples of successful information-sharing partnerships within the Department include:

• Infrastructure Information Collection Division’s Constellation/Automated Critical Asset Management System (C/ACAMS)
• Protective Security Coordination Division’s Chemical Comprehensive Review, Site Assistance Visits (SAVs) and Buffer Zone Protection Plans (BZPPs)
• National Cyber Security Division’s United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) Secure Portal Submissions Capability

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This page was last reviewed/modified on April 15, 2008.