20 CFR § 401.145 - Safeguards against unauthorized redisclosure or use.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t20/s401.145"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "20 CFR § 401.145 - Safeguards against unauthorized redisclosure or use."
title_number: 20
title_name: "Employees' Benefits"
section_number: "401.145"
section_name: "Safeguards against unauthorized redisclosure or use."
chapter_name: "SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION"
part_number: "401"
part_name: "PRIVACY AND DISCLOSURE OF OFFICIAL RECORDS AND INFORMATION"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "Secs. 205, 702(a)(5), 1106, and 1141 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405, 902(a)(5), 1306, and 1320b-11); 5 U.S.C. 552 and 552a; 8 U.S.C. 1360; 26 U.S.C. 6103; 30 U.S.C. 923."
regulatory_source: "62 FR 4143, Jan. 29, 1997, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "401"
---


# 401.145 Safeguards against unauthorized redisclosure or use.

(a) The FOIA does not authorize us to impose any restrictions on how information is used after we disclose it under that law. In applying FOIA principles, we consider whether the information will be adequately safeguarded against improper use or redisclosure. We must consider all the ways in which the recipient might use the information and how likely the recipient is to redisclose the information to other parties. Thus, before we disclose personal information we may consider such factors as—

(1) Whether only those individuals who have a need to know the information will obtain it;

(2) Whether appropriate measures to safeguard the information to avoid unwarranted use or misuse will be taken; and

(3) Whether we would be permitted to conduct on-site inspections to see whether the safeguards are being met.

(b) We feel that there is a strong public interest in sharing information with other agencies with programs having the same or similar purposes, so we generally share information with those agencies. However, since there is usually little or no public interest in disclosing information for disputes between two private parties or for other private or commercial purposes, we generally do not share information for these purposes.