Overview of the Privacy Act of 1974 Table of Contents
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OVERVIEW OF THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 1 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY .................................................................................. 1 ROLE OF THE PRIVACY PROTECTION STUDY COMMISSION ................ 1 ROLE OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET ....................... 2 COMPUTER MATCHING.................................................................................. 3 POLICY OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................... 4 DEFINITIONS ..................................................................................................... 4 A. Agency ................................................................................................... 4 B. Individual ............................................................................................. 14 C. Maintain ............................................................................................... 17 D. Record .................................................................................................. 17 E. System of Records ............................................................................... 28 1) Disclosure: Subsection (b) ........................................................... 34 2) Access and Amendment: Subsections (d)(1) and (d)(2) .............. 46 3) Other Aspects................................................................................ 48 CONDITIONS OF DISCLOSURE TO THIRD PARTIES ............................... 52 A. The "No Disclosure Without Consent" Rule ........................................ 52 B. Twelve Exceptions to the "No Disclosure Without Consent" Rule ..... 65 1) 5 USC § 552a(b)(1) ("need to know" within agency) ................... 65 2) 5 USC § 552a(b)(2) (required FOIA disclosures) ......................... 74 3) 5 USC § 552a(b)(3) (routine uses) ................................................ 79 4) 5 USC § 552a(b)(4) (Bureau of the Census) ................................. 94 5) 5 USC § 552a(b)(5) (statistical research) ...................................... 95 6) 5 USC § 552a(b)(6) (National Archives) ...................................... 95 7) 5 USC § 552a(b)(7) (law enforcement request) ............................ 96 8) 5 USC § 552a(b)(8) (health or safety of an individual) ................ 97 9) 5 USC § 552a(b)(9) (Congress) .................................................... 97 10) 5 USC § 552a(b)(10) (Government Accountability Office) ......... 98 11) 5 USC § 552a(b)(11) (court order) ............................................... 98 12) 5 USC § 552a(b)(12) (Debt Collection Act) ............................... 109 ACCOUNTING OF CERTAIN DISCLOSURES ........................................... 109 INDIVIDUAL’S RIGHT OF ACCESS ........................................................... 112 INDIVIDUAL’S RIGHT OF AMENDMENT ................................................ 122 AGENCY REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................... 123 A. 5 USC § 552a(e)(1) ............................................................................ 123 B. 5 USC § 552a(e)(2) ............................................................................ 124 C. 5 USC § 552a(e)(3) ............................................................................ 128 D. 5 USC § 552a(e)(4) ............................................................................ 132 E. 5 USC § 552a(e)(5) ............................................................................ 133 F. 5 USC § 552a(e)(6) ............................................................................ 145 G. 5 USC § 552a(e)(7) ............................................................................ 146 H. 5 USC § 552a(e)(8) ............................................................................ 154 I. 5 USC § 552a(e)(9) ............................................................................ 155 J. 5 USC § 552a(e)(10) .......................................................................... 155 K. 5 USC § 552a(e)(11) .......................................................................... 157 AGENCY RULES ........................................................................................... 157 A. 5 USC § 552a(f)(1) ............................................................................ 157 B. 5 USC § 552a(f)(2) ............................................................................ 158 C. 5 USC § 552a(f)(3) ............................................................................ 158 D. 5 USC § 552a(f)(4) ............................................................................ 161 E. 5 USC § 552a(f)(5) ............................................................................ 161 CIVIL REMEDIES .......................................................................................... 161 A. Amendment Lawsuits under (g)(1)(A)............................................... 168 B. Access Lawsuits under (g)(1)(B) ....................................................... 180 C. Damages Lawsuits under (g)(1)(C) .................................................... 186 D. Damages Lawsuits under (g)(1)(D) ................................................... 201 E. Principles Applicable to Damages Lawsuits ...................................... 210 1) Intentional/Willful Standard ....................................................... 210 2) Actual Damages .......................................................................... 224 F. Principles Applicable to All Privacy Act Civil Actions ..................... 231 1) Attorney Fees and Costs ............................................................. 231 2) Jurisdiction and Venue................................................................ 236 3) Statute of Limitations ................................................................. 239 4) Jury Trial ..................................................................................... 259 CRIMINAL PENALTIES ................................................................................ 260 TEN EXEMPTIONS ........................................................................................ 261 A. One Special Exemption -- 5 USC § 552a(d)(5) ................................. 261 B. Two General Exemptions -- 5 USC § 552a(j)(1) and (j)(2) ............... 263 C. Seven Specific Exemptions -- 5 USC § 552a(k) ................................ 275 1) 5USC § 552a(k)(1) ..................................................................... 276 2) 5 USC § 552a(k)(2) .................................................................... 277 3) 5 USC § 552a(k)(3) .................................................................... 284 4) 5 USC § 552a(k)(4) .................................................................... 284 5) 5 USC § 552a(k)(5) .................................................................... 284 6) 5 USC § 552a(k)(6) .................................................................... 288 7) 5 USC § 552a(k)(7) .................................................................... 289 SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER USAGE ....................................................... 289 GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS ................................................................ 294 MAILING LISTS ............................................................................................. 295 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS ................................................................ 296 TEXT OF THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 ...................................................... 299 OVERVIEW OF THE PRIVACY ACT INTRODUCTION The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a (2006), which has been in effect since September 27, 1975, can generally be characterized as an omnibus “code of fair information practices” that attempts to regulate the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personal information by federal executive branch agencies. However, the Act’s imprecise language, limited legislative history, and somewhat outdated regulatory guidelines have rendered it a difficult statute to decipher and apply. Moreover, even after more than thirty-five years of administrative and judicial analysis, numerous Privacy Act issues remain unresolved or unexplored. Adding to these interpretational difficulties is the fact that many earlier Privacy Act cases are unpublished district court decisions. A particular effort is made in this “Overview” to clarify the existing state of Privacy Act law while at the same time highlighting those controversial, unsettled areas where further litigation and case law development can be expected. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY The entire legislative history of the Privacy Act is contained in a convenient, one-volume compilation. See House Comm. on Gov’t Operations and Senate Comm. on Gov’t Operations, 94th Cong., 2d Sess., Legislative History of the Privacy Act of 1974 – S. 3418 (Pub. L. No. 93-579) Source Book on Privacy (1976) [hereinafter Source Book], available at http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/ pdf/LH_privacy_act-1974.pdf. The Act was passed in great haste during the final week of the Ninety-Third Congress. No conference committee was convened to reconcile differences in the bills passed by the House and Senate. Instead, staffs of the respective committees – led by Senators Ervin and Percy, and Congressmen Moorhead and Erlenborn – prepared a final version of the bill that was ultimately enacted. The original