The Privacy Act of 1974 (Privacy Act; 5 U.S.C. §552a) prescribes how federal agency records with individually identifying information are to be stored, who may access such information, and when the government may use or disclose it.

The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, establishes a code of fair information practices that governs the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of information about individuals that is maintained in systems of records by federal agencies.

The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, establishes a code of fair information practices that governs the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personally identifiable information about individuals that is maintained in a systems of records (a group of records under the control of an agency from which information is retrieved by a unique identifier, e.g., name, ssn, etc.) by federal agencies.