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Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act: Data Integration and Individual Rights

CRS Report – Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act: Data Integration and Individual Rights, December 6, 2022: “Computers and information technologies have increased the amount of data that can be collected, stored, and processed. Computers make it easier to exchange, share, and match data on individuals across programmatic and agency boundaries, enabling the use of that data for various executive branch operations. The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (CMPPA) provides the requirements and processes by which agencies may, for certain purposes, conduct a matching program using individuals’ data. Congress passed the CMPPA to increase the administrative controls and oversight of matching programs. The CMPPA amended provisions enacted by the Privacy Act of 1974 and operates within the Privacy Act’s statutory framework. The CMPPA covers how agencies may conduct a computerized comparison of automated records to administer federal benefit programs or to use federal personnel and payroll records. A matching program may involve two or more federal agencies or a federal agency and a state or local government agency. Matching programs are used throughout the executive branch at agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Communications Commission, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, and the Treasury Department. A matching program may exchange and compare any number of records, and some match millions of records…”

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