EPIC v. Ed privacy Student Debt Collection Student Privacy
EPIC FOIA - EPIC Uncovers Information About Debt Collector Practices from Education Dept.
Pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Education Department, EPIC has obtained documents which reveal that many private debt collection agencies maintain incomplete and insufficient quality control reports. As government contractors, debt collectors are required to follow the Privacy Act, a federal law that protects personal information. The Education Department also requires student debt collectors to submit quality control reports indicating whether the companies maintain accurate student loan information. The documents obtained by EPIC in this FOIA lawsuit reveal that many companies provide small sample sizes to conceal possible violations of the Act. The documents also show that many companies do not submit required information about Privacy Act compliance to the Education Department. EPIC has recently settled the case and obtained attorneys fees for making this information available to the public. For more information, see EPIC v. Education Department - Private Debt Collector Privacy Act Compliance.
November 1, 2013| Share:
