The USDA gives a privacy promise, as stated in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the NAIS website. As with many other portions of NAIS, the Federal Government defers to the states and private industry to ensure your privacy is protected. I’ll qoute the FAQ here, in case it disappears at some future time.

Q. Will my private information be protected?

A. Federal law protects individuals’ private information and confidential business information from disclosure. Furthermore, USDA maintains only limited premises registration information and will not have direct access to animal identification or movement records. If USDA needs animal movement and location information to respond to an animal health emergency, data will be requested from the private and State databases where it is held.

With that information in mind, read this press release, USDA Narrows List to 63,000 Individuals Whose Private Data was Exposed! I found the folowing story, from the Washington Post, while browsing through Google News. Read, U.S. Exposed Personal Data by
Ellen Nakashima.

The lesson here is that you need to be careful with who you trust with your private information. What are the chances that your Premise Id information will remain private?