Which act establishes a code of information-handling practices for U.S. federal agencies and defines a system of records retrieved by name or identifier?

Which act establishes a code of information-handling practices for U.S. federal agencies and defines a system of records retrieved by name or identifier?

• A. The Federal Privacy Act of 1974
• B. The Privacy Protection Act of 1980
• C. The Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act of 1994
• D. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986

Answer: (A)

Personal data handling by federal agencies is governed by a statute that sets the rules for how information is collected, maintained, used, and disclosed, and it defines what counts as a system of records. The defining feature is that a system of records is a group of records under an agency’s control from which information is retrieved by the individual's name or by another identifier. This combination of establishing a code of information-handling practices and precisely defining retrievability by name or identifier is what the statute does, making it the match for the description. The other acts address different privacy and enforcement issues. The Privacy Protection Act of 1980 focuses on protecting journalists from certain search and seizure practices. The Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act of 1994 centers on enabling law enforcement access to communications. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 extends privacy protections to electronic communications but does not lay out a broad code of information-handling practices or define retrievable systems of records.

Personal data handling by federal agencies is governed by a statute that sets the rules for how information is collected, maintained, used, and disclosed, and it defines what counts as a system of records. The defining feature is that a system of records is a group of records under an agency’s control from which information is retrieved by the individual's name or by another identifier. This combination of establishing a code of information-handling practices and precisely defining retrievability by name or identifier is what the statute does, making it the match for the description.

The other acts address different privacy and enforcement issues. The Privacy Protection Act of 1980 focuses on protecting journalists from certain search and seizure practices. The Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act of 1994 centers on enabling law enforcement access to communications. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 extends privacy protections to electronic communications but does not lay out a broad code of information-handling practices or define retrievable systems of records.