ABSTRACT
Enforcement of the principle of accountability to individuals is the keystone to several pieces of legislation such as the Privacy Act of 1974, the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970, the Fair Credit Billing Act, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Attempts to hold systems accountable, with respect to system quality, hava taken two approaches. The first is concerned with the security and confidentiality of records and record systems. The second approach to system quality is concerned directly with record quality: managers are required to maintain records which are accurate, timely, and complete to assure fairness to individuals about whom a determination may be made. The chapter presents the results of investigations of record quality in three systems: the Supplemental Security Income Program of the Social Security Administration, a large State criminal history file, and the Internal Revenue Service file on individual tax filers.
