# HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.512(k)(2) — Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - National Security and intelligence activities - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-k-2-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-national-security - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [HIPAA Security, Privacy & Breach-Notification Rules](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa) › Privacy Rule — §164.512 - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164)**·§ `164.512(k)(2)`·medium·Component: **Privacy Rule** ## What this control requires > National security and intelligence activities. A covered entity may disclose protected health information to authorized federal officials for the conduct of lawful intelligence, counter-intelligence, and other national security activities authorized by the National Security Act (50 U.S.C. 401, et seq.) and implementing authority (e.g., Executive Order 12333). > > — HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164), § 164.512(k)(2) ### In plain English National security and intelligence activities. In practice, this means you can prove you security security-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters HIPAA non-compliance is a strict-liability matter: OCR civil monetary penalties are assessed per-record per-violation (up to USD 1.9 million per identical-violation calendar year as of 2024), and willful neglect can trigger criminal referral. ## What an auditor looks for HHS OCR investigators and SOC-2+HIPAA auditors look for the specific 45 CFR § citation, whether the safeguard is required vs addressable (and if addressable, the documented decision), the implementation specification, the workforce member responsible, and the records that show it runs. Within **Privacy Rule**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (§ 164.512(k)(2)) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Other.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Policy.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Uses.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** security, management, policy, e, uses, c. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - National Security and intelligence activities. ## Common pitfalls - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**BSI C5:2020 SP-01** — Documentation, communication and provision of policies and instructions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sp-01-documentation-communication-and-provision-of-policies-and-instructions) - [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 PL-2(3)** — Plan And Coordinate With Other Organizational Entities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pl-2-3-plan-and-coordinate-with-other-organizational-entities) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.1** — Policies for information security](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-1-policies-for-information-security) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.12.1** — Security Assessment](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-12-1-security-assessment) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC2.3** — External Communication on Internal Control Matters](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc2-3-external-communication-on-internal-control-matters) ## Related controls in HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) - [**§ 164.512(h)** — Uses and disclosures for cadaveric organ, eye or tissue donation](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-h-uses-and-disclosures-for-cadaveric-organ-eye-or-tissue-donation) - [**§ 164.512(k)(3)** — Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - Protective Services](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-k-3-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-protective-services) - [**§ 164.512(k)(5)** — Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - Correctional institutions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-k-5-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-correctional) - [**§ 164.512(k)(4)** — Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - Medical Suitability Determinations](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-k-4-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-medical-suitability) - [**§ 164.512(k)(6)** — Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - Providing public benefits](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-k-6-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-providing-public) - [**§ 164.308(a)(5)(i)** — Security Awareness and Training](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-308-a-5-i-security-awareness-and-training) ## References - [U.S. HHS Office for Civil Rights — HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164)](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/index.html) - Catalogue identifier: `§ 164.512(k)(2)` Topics: governance riskpolicy management ## Related compliance guidance - [HIPAA compliance for SaaS: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa): Start with the full HIPAA implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs. - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Most covered-entity customers accept a SOC 2 Type II report as the independent evidence that your HIPAA controls operate, since no HIPAA attestation exists. - [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): NIST publishes mappings of the Security Rule standards and implementation specifications to SP 800-53 Rev. 5 controls alongside SP 800-66 Rev. 2, so an 800-53 control set doubles as a HIPAA crosswalk.