In light of the increased use of the Internet by federal agencies as an easy, inexpensive and expedient way to disseminate information to the public, Congress passed the Data Quality Act of 2000.  This act was designed to ensure the quality of information released by federal agencies.  The DQA’s impact on individual privacy is limited and indirect, as its principal focus is on the quality, and not the confidentiality, of information intended for publication.  That said, DQA data quality procedures overlap with the data quality and integrity requirements of the Privacy Act when an agency collects, generates or uses individual-level data in an agency system of records to prepare or support published studies or research covered by the DQA.

Link to text of law: The Data Quality Act

Acronym(s): DQA

Associated term(s): Terms

Associated law(s): Privacy Act