The privacy act is an establishment of fair information that governs over the collection,

the maintenance, the use, and the dissemination of information about individuals that is
maintained in systems of records by federal agencies. A system of records is a group of records
that are under the control of a federal agency and the information is retrieved by the individuals
name or an identifier assigned to the individual. This act prohibits the disclosure of information
from a system of records without the written consent of the individual pertaining to the
information. This act came about because of all of the concerns about how the creation and use
of computerized databases could impact an individuals privacy rights. The wildfire like spread
of technology advances of the 1960s and 70s made it much easier for agencies to crossreference the personal data of individuals. Concerned citizens alongside legislators began to
contemplate the ways that their information could be abused; Computers were able to search
thoroughly and cross reference files quickly and effortlessly and showed how the details of
someones personal life could be compiled into a single database. This impacts the Department
of Health, Education, and Welfare, the FBI, and the list even includes the military and any
company the U.S government owns. Each of these are affected directly and it is a must and
requirement that they issue a report entitled Records, Computers, and the Rights of Citizens.
This report adopts a code with a set of regulations and principles that protect people and their
personal and private information. Violation of this privacy act will result in a fine up to $5000 for
knowingly and willfully requesting or gaining access to a record about an individual under false
pretenses. It would be best to respond as soon as possible and the case can be filed in the U.S
District Court in the district where the requester resides or where they have their principal place
of business. The District of Columbia is also available. An example of a case that has occurred in
recent years would have to be Doe vs. Chao. Chao concerned that one of a group of minors who

pseudonymously sued the Department of Labor for violating the Privacy Act of 1974 when the
department published the personal records of their black lung compensation claims with their
Social Security Numbers as their case numbers. This specific case, however, deals with the likes
of Buck Doe, who claims for damages for the emotional distress caused to him by the disclosure.
Despite this claim, the Fourth Circuit ruled there was a requirement of actual harm in order for
a plaintiff to receive the statutory minimum damages of $1,000 and that Buck Doe failed to meet
that requirement. On the day of June 27th, 2003, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.
EPIC, the website I found some of this information and this specific case, has since filed a brief
in this case under the name of amicus curiae.

https://epic.org/privacy/1974act/
http://www.justice.gov/usam/eousa-resource-manual-142-judicial-remedies-and-penaltiesviolating-privacy-act