Definitions[]
General[]
Redress is
| “ | compensation paid for economic harm, whether in the form of a monetary remedy (e.g., a voluntary payment, damages, restitution, or other monetary relief) or a conduct remedy with a restorative element (e.g., an exchange of a good or service, specific performance or rescission of a contract). | ” |
| “ | [l]aws, policies, and procedures that address public entity responsibilities with regard to access/disclosure and correction of information and the handling of complaints from persons regarding protected information about them which is under the entity's control and which is exempt from disclosure and not disclosed to the individual to whom the information pertains.[1] | ” |
| “ | [i]nternal procedures to address complaints from persons regarding protected information about them that is under the agency's control.[2] | ” |
Privacy[]
With regard to U.S. federal agencies, the term redress generally refers to an agency’s complaint resolution process, whereby individuals may seek resolution of their concerns about an agency action. Specifically, in the privacy context, redress refers to processes for handling privacy inquiries and complaints as well as for allowing citizens who believe that agencies are storing and using erroneous information about them to gain access to and correct that information.
The Privacy Act of 1974 requires that all agencies, with certain exceptions, allow individuals access to their records and the ability to have inaccurate information corrected. Several other federal laws also direct senior privacy officials at specific agencies to provide redress by ensuring that they have adequate procedures for investigating and addressing privacy complaints by individuals. Several laws also provide for attention to privacy in a broader context of civil liberties protection.