United States Privacy Act & Disclosure of Unlisted Telephone Numbers
The U.S. Privacy Act of 1974 restricts government agencies from disclosing personal information about individuals that the agency has contained in a system of records. The agency may disclose the information only to the individual the record pertains to. This restriction applies to the disclosure of unlisted telephone numbers.
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Disclosure
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The agency may disclose the information, such as an unlisted number, under certain circumstances. Acceptable reasons include: when an officer or employee of the agency needs the record to carry out his job function; when the Census Bureau collects data every 10 years; or when a person requests the information with a compelling reason that affects the individual's health or safety.
Penalties
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When an agency violates the act by disclosing an unlisted number, and it has an adverse affect on the individual, he may be entitled to civil and criminal remedies. He can file a civil lawsuit in a district court of the United States. Anyone who violates the act is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of not more than $5,000.
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Exemptions
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Under certain circumstances, an agency may create rules that exempt it from some of the law's provisions. An agency head may create rules to exempt the system of records within the agency if it is a system maintained by the Central Intelligence Agency or an agency that primarily enforces criminal laws. In these instances, an unlisted telephone number may be subject to disclosure.
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