§ 3b.201 - Content of records.

§ 3b.201 Content of records.

(a) All records which are maintained by the Commission in a system of records will contain only such information about an individual that is relevant and necessary to accomplish a purpose of the Commission as required to be accomplished by statute or by executive order of the President. Pursuant to § 3b.3(a)(4) of this part, the Commission will identify in the Federal Register the specific provisions in law which authorize it to maintain information in a system of records. In determining the relevance and necessity of records, the following considerations will govern:

(1) Whether each item of information relates to the purposes, in law, for which the system is maintained;

(2) The adverse consequences, if any, of not collecting the information;

(3) Whether the need for the information could be met through the maintenance of the information in a non-individually identifiable form;

(4) Whether the information in the record is required to be collected on every individual who is the subject of a record in the system or whether a sampling procedure would suffice;

(5) The length of time it is necessary to retain the information;

(6) The financial cost of maintaining the record as compared to the adverse consequences of not maintaining it; and

(7) Whether the information, while generally relevant and necessary to accomplish a statutory purpose, is specifically relevant and necessary only in certain cases.

(b) All records which the Commission maintains in a system of records and which are used to make a determination about an individual will be maintained with such accuracy, relevance, timeliness, and completeness as is reasonably necessary to assure fairness to the individual in the determination. Where practicable, in questionable instances, reverification of pertinent information with the individual to whom the record pertains may be appropriate. In pursuit of completeness in the collection of information, the Commission will limit its records to those elements of information which clearly bear on the determination for which the records are intended to be used, assuring that all elements necessary to the determination are present before the determination is made.

(c) Prior to disseminating any records in a system of records, the Commission will make reasonable efforts to assure that such records are as accurate, relevant, timely, and complete as appropriate for the purposes for which they are collected and/or maintained, except when they are disclosed to a member of the public under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended, or to another agency.

(d) No records of the Commission in a system of records shall describe how any individual exercises his First Amendment rights unless expressly authorized by statute or by the individual about whom the record is maintained or unless pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity. The exercise of these rights includes, but is not limited to, religious and political beliefs, freedom of speech and of the press, and freedom of assembly and petition. In determining whether or not a particular activity constitutes the exercise of a right guaranteed by the First Amendment, the Commission will apply the broadest reasonable interpretation.