The Privacy Act states in part:
"No agency shall disclose any record which is contained in a system of records by any means of communication to any person, or to another agency, except pursuant to a written request by, or with the prior written consent of, the individual to whom the record pertains...."
There are specific exceptions for the record allowing the use of personal records:
- For statistical purposes by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- For routine uses within a U.S. government agency
- For archival purposes "as a record which has sufficient historical or other value to warrant its continued preservation by the United States Government"
- For law enforcement purposes
- For congressional investigations
- Other administrative purposes
The Privacy Act mandates that each United States Government agency have in place an administrative and physical security system to prevent the unauthorized release of personal records.
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