The Privacy Act of 1974 is a federal law that regulates the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information by federal agencies.

The Privacy Act of 1974 applies to records that are maintained in a system of records, which is defined as a group of records under the control of an agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifier assigned to the individual.

The Privacy Act of 1974 grants individuals the right to access and amend their records, and requires agencies to provide notice of their systems of records, establish safeguards for the protection of the records, and limit the disclosure of the records to certain authorized purposes.

The Privacy Act of 1974 also establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations of the law, such as unauthorized disclosure, failure to publish a notice, or refusal to grant access or amendment.

The Privacy Act of 1974 does NOT require agencies to obtain the consent of the individual before collecting their personal information. However, the Privacy Act of 1974 does require agencies to inform the individual of the authority for the collection, the purpose and use of the collection, and the effects of not providing the information.

References: : [Overview of the Privacy Act of 1974]