Federal employment in the United States spans a diverse range of careers, including the Postal Service, Veteran’s Hospitals, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Aviation Administration. These different fields are under strict regulation, and are controlled by the government, thus, all employees that work for the federal government must adhere to a unique set of rules and regulations. For the vast amount of data that is used in every career field under federal jurisdiction, there is a set of policies, regulation, and processes that employees must follow, which makes data entry aspects in these careers unique from similar ones in non-federal government jobs. In 2010, there were over 22 million employees working for the federal government, and that number has steadily climbed over the last five years. For data entry that provides an endless source of information, there are an equal number of restrictions and enforcement of internal policies to regulate utilization, management, and applications of data entry related issues/aspects.
Data Collection and Federal Privacy Concerns
Privacy constraints are of primary concern for any federally operated structure, including all career fields falling under that jurisdiction. Preserving the security of all information handled by the government complies and contained in federal offices is of paramount importance. Careful restrictions are applied to all incoming and outgoing data, and strict protocols are enacted by everyone coming into contact with even the most mundane data. For example, collected data may detail names, dates, or social security numbers, all of which are sensitive material while still remaining in a somewhat general or widely used context. However, combined with other databases that may be held in federal facilities or to subsidiaries, etc., this information could be potentially identifying and harmful if misused or mishandled. Birthdates and cities, gender, age, or zip codes combined with the above mentioned social security numbers or names put an undisputed identifying spotlight on an individual. As federal facilities often use automated data mining to build classification models, ensuring that data is safeguarded for specific usage is the main function of government based facilities, offices, and careers.
Healthcare is a perpetually hot topic in the United States, and government run medical facilities like the Veteran’s Affairs Hospitals are in a constant state of flux regarding privacy issues. Electronic databases and data sources are taking over in this current age, and while they bring much needed organization and simplified access to patient care, insurance, payments, and doctor participation, they also cause concern for the security of said information. In the past decade, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has enabled the federal government to address security rules that regulate healthcare. Private patient information is allowed to be disclosed without many limitations for law enforcement, judicial authorities, and similar authoritative bodies. Yet secondary uses are not regulated to maintain control over private health data, and can be given to insurance provider marketing, for example, without strict regulations. The federal government is attempting to provide enhanced privacy protection and disclosure acts to protect private and public health data, along with additional security features on electronic records systems within VA hospitals and other government medical facilities.
Specific Restrictions upon Employee Manned Data Entry Utilization
Although most modern businesses, including federal ones, apply automated data entry tools for managing information, there are typically employees that handle basic manual data tasks. Tightly controlled information requires strict mandates regarding all data passing through the hands of employees. Sensitive information that could be susceptible to tampering or hacks is handled with extreme delicacy and attention to internal policy. In the FAA, for example, employees use coded keycards and identification numbers before logging onto computers or dealing with any data. This ensures that information can be tracked to the specific handler, and moderated as needed. Data that is entered in large quantities is later checked by trained supervisors, as well as automated software programs that can filter through entered data and identify doubled or incorrect information.
Having access to software programs that handle data entry may be common for the majority of employees in federal job fields simply because data entry is a fundamental source of information and organization for almost every career in today’s world. Inputting information into a particular system is a task done across a range of jobs, and in federal ones, even entry level data positions are under a different type of scrutiny than their counterparts in public positions. Generally data entry positions, which might be anything from accepting mail at the U.S. Postal Service or acting as passport verifiers in the FAA, require more advanced training than is the norm. Also, these data entry jobs have a process that must not be strayed from, ensuring that there is a regimented adherence to a method of dealing with data that has a record of accuracy. This process involves entering information into a database, running it through multiple software applications, indexing for easy retrieval and filing into the proper channels. Due to this data being a property of the Federal government, the most strict regulations involve employee discretion.
Analysts at the FBI regularly deal with mass quantities of data, and their sole occupation is to categorize and make sense of information that might seem irrelevant or useless upon first glance. Advanced filtering programs and OCR software helps to sift through the bulk of data entered, uncovering patterns and insights and discarding messy data. This is achieved either through electronic scanning or manual means, and data analysts are adept at finding significant pieces of information to be passed along the chain. Data is meticulously interpreted and then presented in a coherent manner. Without a team of highly trained individuals and the most cutting edge data entry software, this would not be possible.
Conclusion
Federal careers, though filling a significant amount of jobs in the United States, are unique in their utilization and handling of all data. From additional security features and methodical processes, there is theoretically a reduction in the amount of risks involved concerning data privacy and accuracy. Data applications, from conversion to formatting, and analytics to processing, are closely monitored under the policies under that particular federal job. Yet the many differing federal facilities share a common thread when handling data, and that includes above average security features, additional processing for everyday information, and limited employee access to data. Federally controlled facilities must handle data uniquely.
– DataEntryOutsourced
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