Regulations.gov allows visitors to review and comment on documents in the Federal Register. The site is part of the Bush administration’s e-Government initiative, which is developing an “e-authentication” process that envisions “the identity proofing of individuals and businesses” who use federal web sites to access government services. “This will help build the trust that must be an inherent part of every online exchange between citizens and the Government,” according to the project’s home page.

Phishing scams seek to trick account holders into divulging sensitive account information, usually through the use of fraudulent e-mails and web pages. To be effective, a phishing scam requires a trusted relationship and a plausible hook. The FTC alert emphasizes that there are no new rules or regulations that require citizens to share financial information through the Regulations.gov site. But recent news stories have raised awareness about state and federal government initiatives to aggregate information through databases.