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Data Protection in the United States: U.S. National Report

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Data Protection in the Internet

Part of the book series: Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law ((GSCL,volume 38))

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Abstract

The United States did not elaborate any uniform federal legislation to ensure the privacy and protection of personal data. Instead, data protection in the United States is constructed out of a combination of sector-specific federal and state laws, and administrative and industrial regulations. Although in some areas American privacy protection framework may be deemed as less robust in comparison with the European one, in the other areas it provides even greater protection than in Europe.

Individual legislative acts evolved over years from a number of specific instruments addressing issues of the private use of the electronic means of communication and data storage, with a special attention to the collection and use of information collected from children under the age of 13. Relatively fewer privacy rights are secured in case of employees in the workplace. Most notably, federal laws provide for lawful exceptions from prohibited monitoring and interception of the employees’ communication, but they are stricter on monitoring and sharing the content posted on social media.

The laws on national security and defense purposes foresee a considerably broader spectrum of provisions regarding interception and forensic examination of the data and communication, especially in wake of the 9/11 events, as stipulated in the USA Patriot Act. Although the USA Freedom Act curbed and amended those provisions substantially, legal problems arising from these laws are still acute and widely discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Terry (2017), pp. 19–27 at 21.

  2. 2.

    Swire and Kennedy-Mayo (2017), pp. 617 and 642. Swire and Kennedy-Mayo argue that U.S. protections are stricter in seven ways:

    1) oversight of searches by independent judicial officers; (2) probable cause of a crime as a relatively strict requirement for both physical and digital searches; (3) even stricter requirements for government use of telephone wiretaps and other real-time interception; (4) the exclusionary rule, preventing prosecutors’ use of evidence that was illegally obtained, is supplemented by civil suits; (5) other legal standards that are relatively strict for government access in many non-search situations, such as the judge-supervised “reasonable and articulable suspicion” standard under ECPA; (6) transparency requirements, such as notice to the service provider of the legal basis for a request; (7) lack of data retention requirements for internet communications; and (8) lack of limits on use of strong encryption.

  3. 3.

    Although European states commonly use the term “data protection”, the phrase “data privacy” is more common in the United States. Swire and Ahmad (2012), p. 4.

  4. 4.

    Title VI of Pub.L. 91-508, 84 Stat. 1114, enacted October 26, 1970.

  5. 5.

    15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.

  6. 6.

    Cobb (2016), p. 2.

  7. 7.

    Id. at 3.

  8. 8.

    Id.

  9. 9.

    Id.

  10. 10.

    5 U.S.C. § 552.

  11. 11.

    Ware (1973), p. 5.

  12. 12.

    5 U.S.C. § 551(a).

  13. 13.

    Raul et al. (2014), pp. 268–294 at 269.

  14. 14.

    5 U.S.C. § 552a(a)(5).

  15. 15.

    McGeveran (2016), pp. 959 and 961.

  16. 16.

    The Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. §§41–58) (FTC Act).

  17. 17.

    Sotto and Simpson (2014), p. 191.

  18. 18.

    Jolly (2016).

  19. 19.

    15 U.S.C §1601.

  20. 20.

    15 U.S.C. §7704.

  21. 21.

    15 U.S.C. §§6501–6506 (restricts the online collection of personal information from children under the age of 13).

  22. 22.

    15 U.S.C. § 1691.

  23. 23.

    15 U.S.C. § 1681 (regulates the use and disclosure of “consumer reports” by consumer reporting agencies).

  24. 24.

    15 U.S.C. § 1692.

  25. 25.

    15 U.S.C. § 6101–6108 (protects consumers from invasive and fraudulent telemarketing practices).

  26. 26.

    18 U.S.C. § 1028.

  27. 27.

    The legislative enactments in this chart are not based on sector specific protections rather than on broad rights to personal data protection as exist in the European Union.

  28. 28.

    15 U.S. Code §6809(4).

  29. 29.

    https://epic.org/privacy/glba/.

  30. 30.

    “(2) Protected health information excludes individually identifiable health information in: (i) Education records covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1232g; (ii) Records described at 20 U.S.C. 1232g (a)(4)(B)(iv); and (iii) Employment records held by a covered entity in its role as employer.” See §160.103.

  31. 31.

    Individually identifiable health information includes demographic data, that relates to: the individual’s past, present or future physical or mental health or condition, the provision of health care to the individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to the individual, and that identifies the individual or for which there is a reasonable basis to believe can be used to identify the individual. See 45 CFR 160.103.

  32. 32.

    Specifically, covered entities must: “Ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all e-PHI they create, receive, maintain or transmit; Identify and protect against reasonably anticipated threats to the security or integrity of the information; Protect against reasonably anticipated, impermissible uses or disclosures; and ensure compliance by their workforce.” See https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/security/laws-regulations/index.html.

  33. 33.

    Eisenhauer (2007), p. 2.

  34. 34.

    15 U.S.C. §§7701–7713.

  35. 35.

    “CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business”, Federal Trade Commission. Available at: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business.

  36. 36.

    15 U.S.C. § 1681(d)(1).

  37. 37.

    15 U.S.C. § 1681e (2013).

  38. 38.

    15 U.S.C. § 1681i (a)(5)(A) (2013).

  39. 39.

    Doyle (2012), p. i.

  40. 40.

    Id. at. 9.

  41. 41.

    18 U.S.C. 2510(8).

  42. 42.

    18 U.S.C. § 1030.

  43. 43.

    18 U.S.C. § 1030(e)(6).

  44. 44.

    18 U.S.C. § 1030(e)(2).

  45. 45.

    18 U.S.C. §1030(a)(5).

  46. 46.

    See Sect. I(B).

  47. 47.

    Brill (2012).

  48. 48.

    Raul et al. (2014), p. 284.

  49. 49.

    Privacy Enforcement and Safe Harbor: Comments of FTC Staff to European Commission Review of the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework (November 12, 2013). Available online at: https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/public_statements/privacy-enforcement-safe-harbor-comments-ftc-staff-european-commission-review-u.s.eu-safe-harbor-framework/131112europeancommissionsafeharbor.pdf.

  50. 50.

    Jolly (2016), Sect. 25.

  51. 51.

    Solove and Hartzog (2014), p. 583.

  52. 52.

    Id. at pp. 611–627.

  53. 53.

    Jolly (2016), Sect. 25.

  54. 54.

    Id.

  55. 55.

    Raul et al. (2014), p. 284.

  56. 56.

    Federal Trade Commission, Privacy & Data Security Update (2016). Available online at: https://www.ftc.gov/reports/privacy-data-security-update-2016.

  57. 57.

    Id.

  58. 58.

    Id.

  59. 59.

    Id.

  60. 60.

    “Enforcement”, Network Advertising Initiative (April 2016). Available at https: www.networkadvertising.org/code-enforcement/enforcement.

  61. 61.

    Id.

  62. 62.

    Id.

  63. 63.

    Listokin (2017), pp. 92–95 at 94.

  64. 64.

    Digital Advert. All., Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising 12, 14–15, 17 (2009), http://digitaladvertisingalliance.org/sites/digital.daaoperations.org/files/DAA_files/seven-principles-07-01-09.pdf.

  65. 65.

    Rich (2015), p. 2.

  66. 66.

    Federal Trade Commission, “Cross-Device Tracking an FTC Staff Report”, January 2017 at 1, citing Digital Advert. All., Self-Regulatory Principles For Online Behavioral Advertising 12, 14–15, 17 (2009), http://digitaladvertisingalliance.org/sites/digital.daaoperations.org/files/DAA_files/seven-principles-07-01-09.pdf.

  67. 67.

    Listokin (2017), p. 94.

  68. 68.

    Id.

  69. 69.

    Castro (2011), p. 8.

  70. 70.

    Pub. L. No. 108–159, 117 Stat. 1952, codified to 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681–1681x.

  71. 71.

    Braverman (2013).

  72. 72.

    Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 136 S.Ct. 1540 (2016).

  73. 73.

    47 U.S.C. §551.

  74. 74.

    18 U.S.C. §§2710–2711.

  75. 75.

    47 U.S.C. §551(b)(1).

  76. 76.

    47 U.S.C. §551(e).

  77. 77.

    18 U.S.C. §§2710(2)(B). Pursuant to the Amendments Act of 2012, a videotape service provider may obtain a consumer’s consent through the internet. 18 U.S.C. §2710.

  78. 78.

    Eichenberger v. ESPN, Inc., No. C14-463 TSZ, 2015 WL 7252985 (W.D. Wash. May 7, 2015).

  79. 79.

    Robinson v. Disney Online, 152 F.Supp.3d 176 (S.D.N.Y. 2015).

  80. 80.

    Toner (2017).

  81. 81.

    See, e.g., “State Laws Related to Internet Privacy”, National Conference of State Legislatures. Available online at: http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/state-laws-related-to-internet-privacy.aspx.

  82. 82.

    Calif. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22575–22578 (CalOPPA).

  83. 83.

    These states include: Arizona, California, Delaware, and Missouri.

  84. 84.

    Sotto and Simpson (2014) (Gideon Roberton (2014)). P. 192. Pp. 191–198. Available online at: https://www.hunton.com/files/Publication/1f767bed-fe08-42bf-94e0-0bd03bf8b74b/Presentation/PublicationAttachment/b167028d-1065-4899-87a9-125700da0133/United_States_GTDT_Data_Protection_and_Privacy_2014.pdf.

  85. 85.

    15 U.S.C. §§ 7701–7713.

  86. 86.

    “CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business”, Federal Trade Commission Website. Available at: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business. Last accessed on 17 July 2017.

  87. 87.

    See 15 U.S.C. § 7702(2)(A).

  88. 88.

    Id.

  89. 89.

    Brennan (2016).

  90. 90.

    Brennan (2016).

  91. 91.

    Lazarus (2016).

  92. 92.

    Id.

  93. 93.

    Id.

  94. 94.

    Id.

  95. 95.

    Singer (2013).

  96. 96.

    See, infra, Sect. 1.5.

  97. 97.

    Jolly (2016), Sect. 7.

  98. 98.

    Under the Act commercial messages are defined as “any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service (including content on an internet web site operated for a commercial purpose).” 15 U.S.C. 7702(2)(A).

  99. 99.

    15 U.S.C. § 7704.

  100. 100.

    “CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business”, Federal Trade Commission Website. Available at: https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business. Last accessed on 17 July 2017 [hereinafter Compliance Guide].

  101. 101.

    Id.

  102. 102.

    See 47 C.F.R. § 64.3100(b)(1), (6).

  103. 103.

    Compliance Guide for Business, supra note 100.

  104. 104.

    Brennan (2016).

  105. 105.

    “Managing Workplace Monitoring and Surveillance”, Society for Human Resource Management, 18 February 2016. Available online at: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/workplaceprivacy.aspx.

  106. 106.

    18 U.S.C.S. § 2510(4).

  107. 107.

    18 U.S.C.S. § 2510(5)(a).

  108. 108.

    See Williams v. Poulos, 11 F.3d 271, 280 (1st Cir. 1993).

  109. 109.

    “Privacy in the Workplace: Overview”, FINDLAW, Available online at: http://employment.findlaw.com/workplace-privacy/privacy-in-the-workplace-overview.html. Last accessed on 18 July 2017.

  110. 110.

    Id.

  111. 111.

    Id.

  112. 112.

    “Privacy in the Workplace: Overview”, Findlaw, Available online at: http://employment.findlaw.com/workplace-privacy/privacy-in-the-workplace-overview.html Last accessed on 18 July 2017.

  113. 113.

    Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. United States Secret Service, 36 F.3d 457 (5th Cir. 1994), aff’g 816 F. Supp. 432 (W.D. Tex. 1993).

  114. 114.

    Caragozian and Warner Jr (2000).

  115. 115.

    18 U.S.C. § 2511(2)(d).

  116. 116.

    Caterine (2009).

  117. 117.

    Gray Plant Mooty & the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, A Legal Guide to Privacy and Data Security (2017). P. 68. Available online at: https://mn.gov/deed/assets/legal-guide-to-privacy-and-data-security_tcm1045-133708.pdf.

  118. 118.

    480 US 709 (1987).

  119. 119.

    480 U. S. 714–719.

  120. 120.

    480 U.S. 719–726.

  121. 121.

    “Workplace Privacy”, Epic.Org, Electronic Privacy Information Center. Available online at: https://www.epic.org/privacy/workplace/.

  122. 122.

    Gray Plant Mooty & the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, A Legal Guide to Privacy and Data Security (2017). p. 66. Available online at: https://mn.gov/deed/assets/legal-guide-to-privacy-and-data-security_tcm1045-133708.pdf.

  123. 123.

    See, e.g., Minn. Stat. §626A.02 Subd. 1.

  124. 124.

    G.L. 214 §1B.

  125. 125.

    Litwin (2006).

  126. 126.

    G.L. 214 §1B.

  127. 127.

    Bratt v. Int’l Bus. Machs. Corp., 392 Mass. 508, 521 (1984).

  128. 128.

    29 U.S.C. § 151–169.

  129. 129.

    Section 8(a)(1).

  130. 130.

    “Jurisdictional Standards”, National Labor Relations Board. Available online at: https://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/jurisdictional-standards.

  131. 131.

    18 U.S.C. § § 2701–11.

  132. 132.

    Hamilton (2016).

  133. 133.

    18 U.S.C.S. § 2511(2)(g)(i).

  134. 134.

    18 U.S.C.S. § 2511(2)(g)(i).

  135. 135.

    961 F. Supp. 2d 659 (D. New Jersey 2013).

  136. 136.

    961 F. Supp. 2d 669–670.

  137. 137.

    Id., citing 18 U.S.C. § 2701(c)(2).

  138. 138.

    Crane (2012), pp. 639 and 642 citing Crispin v. Christian Audigier, Inc., 717 F. Supp. 2d 965, 991 (C.D. Cal. 2010).

  139. 139.

    Grosdidier (2013).

  140. 140.

    29 U.S.C. §§ 157.

  141. 141.

    Grosdidier (2013).

  142. 142.

    “State Social Media Privacy Laws”, National Conference of State Legislatures, 5 May 2017. Available online at: http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/state-laws-prohibiting-access-to-social-media-usernames-and-passwords.aspx.

  143. 143.

    Id.

  144. 144.

    Wis. Stat. § 995.55(4).

  145. 145.

    McGinnis (2014).

  146. 146.

    Id.

  147. 147.

    Stevens (2010), p. 1.

  148. 148.

    Id.

  149. 149.

    Id.

  150. 150.

    Health Breach Notification Rule, 16 C.F.R. 318.

  151. 151.

    Stevens (2010), p. 8.

  152. 152.

    The Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, P.L. 109–461 (December 22, 2006); 38 U.S.C. §§ 5722 et seq.

  153. 153.

    38 U.S. C. § 5724(a)(1).

  154. 154.

    38 U.S.C. § 5724(a)(2).

  155. 155.

    VA Handbook 6500.2, Section 4(c), p. 48. July 28, 2016. Available online at: https://www.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=843&FType=2.

  156. 156.

    See “Guidance on Response Programs for Unauthorized Access to Customer Information and Customer Notice”, Federal Deposit Insurance Program, 1 April 2005. Available online at: https://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2005/fil2705.html.

  157. 157.

    Saikali (2012).

  158. 158.

    FACTA includes a “truncation” requirement that applies to anyone who accepts credit or debit cards as a form of payment. According to this requirement, the business entity may not print a receipt that contains more than the last five digits of the card number or print the card’s expiration date on any receipt given the customer at the point of the transaction. Transactions where the consumer enters the account number by handwriting or the business uses an imprint of the card are not bound by this requirement. Under the provisions of the Act, any person who negligently violates the truncation requirement may be required to pay actual damages and attorneys’ fees. See 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681o(a) and 1681n(a).

  159. 159.

    15 U.S. Code § 1681c–1.

  160. 160.

    “The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Privacy of Your Credit Report”, Epic.org. Available online at: https://epic.org/privacy/fcra/.

  161. 161.

    Id.

  162. 162.

    Id.

  163. 163.

    18 U.S.C. § 2510-22. The ECPA also includes the Stored Wire Electronic Communications Act.

  164. 164.

    “Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA), 18 U.S.C. § 2510-22”, Justice Information Sharing, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, last updated on: 30 July 2013. Available online at: https://it.ojp.gov/PrivacyLiberty/authorities/statutes/1285 Last accessed on 13 August 2017 [hereinafter ECPA 1986].

  165. 165.

    Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2510(1), a “‘wire communication’ means any aural transfer made in whole or in part through the use of facilities for the transmission of communications by the aid of wire, cable, or other like connection between the point of origin and the point of reception (including the use of such connection in a switching station) furnished or operated by any person engaged in providing or operating such facilities for the transmission of interstate or foreign communications or communications affecting interstate or foreign commerce.”

  166. 166.

    “Oral communications” are typically intercepted through bugs or other recording and transmitting devices and consist of “any oral communication uttered by a person exhibiting an expectation that such communication is not subject to interception under circumstances justifying such expectation, but such term does not include any electronic communication.” See 18 U.S.C. § 2510(2).

  167. 167.

    Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2510(12), “electronic communication” means “any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectronic or photooptical system that affects interstate or foreign commerce, but does not include—

    1. (A)

      any wire or oral communication;

    2. (B)

      any communication made through a tone-only paging device;

    3. (C)

      any communication from a tracking device (as defined in section 3117 of this title); or

    4. (D)

      electronic funds transfer information stored by a financial institution in a communications system used for the electronic storage and transfer of funds.”

  168. 168.

    ECPA 1986, supra note 164.

  169. 169.

    Id.

  170. 170.

    Id.

  171. 171.

    Id.

  172. 172.

    See United States v. Perrine, 518 F.3d 1196, 1204 (10th Cir. 2008) (holding that individuals retain no Fourth Amendment privacy interest in subscriber information and transactional records).

  173. 173.

    ECPA 1986, supra note 164.

  174. 174.

    Solove and Hartzog (2014), p. 178.

  175. 175.

    77 F.Supp.3d 836, 848 (N.D. Cal. 2014).

  176. 176.

    18 U.S.C. §§2510–3127.

  177. 177.

    The amendments include: Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) (1994), the USA Patriot Act (2001), the USA Patriot reauthorization acts (2006), and the FISA Amendments Act (2008).

  178. 178.

    334 F. Supp. 2d 471 (S.D.N.Y. 2004).

  179. 179.

    “Modernizing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)”, ACLU, Available online at: https://www.aclu.org/feature/modernizing-electronic-communications-privacy-act-ecpa Last accessed on 13 August 2017.

  180. 180.

    Title 1 includes “The Wiretap Act”, 18 U.S.C. §§2510–2522.

  181. 181.

    18 U.S.C. §§2701–2711.

  182. 182.

    “Electronic Communications Privacy Act”, University of Cincinnati IT@UC Office of Information Security, Available online at: http://www.uc.edu/infosec/compliance/ecpa.html.

  183. 183.

    “CALEA: The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) of 1994”, Electronic Frontier Foundation. Available online at: https://www.eff.org/issues/calea.

  184. 184.

    Zetter (2014).

  185. 185.

    47 U.S.C. § 1002(a)(4)(A).

  186. 186.

    Zetter (2014).

  187. 187.

    This includes customer data such as the name, address, length of service, and means of payment. See 18 U.S.C. §2703(c).

  188. 188.

    18 U.S.C. §§3121–3127. “Electronic Communications Privacy Act”, University of Cincinnati IT@UC Office of Information Security, Available online at: http://www.uc.edu/infosec/compliance/ecpa.html.

  189. 189.

    18 U.S.C. §3123(a)(1).

  190. 190.

    18 U.S.C. 2511(2)(i(I). Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2510(21), a computer trespasser is a person who: (A) “accesses a protected computer without authorization and thus has no reasonable expectation of privacy in any communication transmitted to, through, or from the protected computer; and (B) does not include a person known by the owner or operator of the protected computer to have an existing contractual relationship with the owner or operator of the protected computer for access to all or part of the protected computer.”

  191. 191.

    Doyle (2012), p. 18.

  192. 192.

    Id. at 19.

  193. 193.

    Id.

  194. 194.

    Gorelick et al. (1989), pp. 255–256.

  195. 195.

    Stanger (2005), p. 13 citing United States v. Hudson, 11 U.S. (7 Cranch) 32, 34 (1812). Available online at: http://blj.ucdavis.edu/archives/vol-5-no-2/document-destruction-after-enron.html.

  196. 196.

    18 U.S.C. § 1519.

  197. 197.

    Leahy and Gilchrist, 126 Am. Jur. Proof of Facts 3d 1, Sanctions for Spoliation of Electronic Evidence § 12, p. 13 (2012) (citing numerous cases).

  198. 198.

    Young (2001).

  199. 199.

    Pub. L. 107–204, title VIII, § 802(a), July 30, 2002, 116 Stat. 800).

  200. 200.

    515 U.S. 593, 598–599 (1995).

  201. 201.

    Stanger (2005).

  202. 202.

    Id.

  203. 203.

    See, e.g., U.S. v. Wise, 221 F.3d 140 (5th Cir. 2000).

  204. 204.

    See, e.g., U.S. v. Wise, 221 F.3d 140 (5th Cir. 2000).

  205. 205.

    50 U.S.C. §§ 1801–11, 1821–29, 1841–46, 1861–62, 1871.

  206. 206.

    50 U.S.C. § 1804(a)(6)(B) &§1823 (a)(6)(B).

  207. 207.

    “Privacy & Civil Liberties: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978”, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Information Sharing. Available online at: https://it.ojp.gov/PrivacyLiberty/authorities/statutes/1286.

  208. 208.

    Goitein and Patel (2015), p. 13.

  209. 209.

    50 U.S.C. § 1801(f)(2).

  210. 210.

    Solove and Hartzog (2014), p. 86.

  211. 211.

    Id.

  212. 212.

    Id. citing 50 U.S.C. § 1801.

  213. 213.

    50 U.S.C. § 1804.

  214. 214.

    Solove and Hartzog (2014), citing 50 U.S.C. § 1801(b)(2)(A)–(B).

  215. 215.

    Perez (2013).

  216. 216.

    “The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA)”, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Justice Information Sharing. Available online at: https://it.ojp.gov/PrivacyLiberty/authorities/statutes/1286, citing 50 U.S.C. § 1802.

  217. 217.

    Goitein and Patel (2015), p. 21.

  218. 218.

    Mann (2014).

  219. 219.

    18 U.S.C. §2709 [The Stored Communications Act].

  220. 220.

    12 U.S.C. §3414(a)(5)(A). [The Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978].

  221. 221.

    15 U.S.C. §1681u. [The Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970].

  222. 222.

    Id.

  223. 223.

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    Liu (2015).

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    H.R. 3361 § 101 (amending 50 U.S.C. § 1861(b)).

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    Id.

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    An act or practice is unfair where it (1) causes or is likely to cause substantial injury to consumers, (2) cannot be reasonably avoided by consumers; and (3) is not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or to competition. See “Consumer Compliance Handbook: Federal Trade Commission Act Section 5: Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices”, Federal Reserve Supervisor’s Handbook, at 7. Available online at: https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/supmanual/cch/ftca.pdf.

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    “A representation, omission, or practice is deceptive if it is likely to mislead a consumer acting reasonably under the circumstances and is likely to affect a consumer’s conduct or decision regarding a product or service” Id. at 7.

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    Title V, 15 U.S.C. §§6801–6809.

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    Fair (2016). The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) may bring an administrative hearing against an individual or entity, suspected of unfair or deceptive trade practices and subsequently issue an order to cease and desist. If the individual or entity subject to the order violates that order, the FTC may impose an administrative fine.

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    CEs include healthcare providers, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and all other CEs—including Business Associates (BAs) of CEs.

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    18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(2).

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    Doyle (2014).

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    Id.

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    50 U.S.C. §1809(c).

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    50 U.S.C. §1827 (a).

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    15 U.S.C. §6821(a).

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    18 U.S.C. §3121(a).

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    18 U.S.C. §3121(d).

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    5 U.S.C. Sec. 552a(i).

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    Pub. L. No. 109–455, 120 Stat. 3372, extended by Pub. L. No. 112–203, 126 Stat. 1484, codified at 15 U.S.C. §§ 41 et seq.

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    Id. at §3.

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    For example, “[p]ersonal information cannot be collected without consumers’ permission, and they have the right to review the data and correct inaccuracies; [c]ompanies that process data must register their activities with the government; [e]mployers cannot read workers’ private e-mail;[and] personal information cannot be shared by companies or across borders without express permission from the data subject.” See Bob Sullivan, “La difference is Stark in E.U., U.S. Privacy Laws”, NBCNEWS.COM, 19 October 2006. Available online at: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15221111/ns/technology_and_science-privacy_lost/t/la-difference-stark-eu-us-privacy-laws/#.WanIt7pFy00.

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Boyne, S.M. (2020). Data Protection in the United States: U.S. National Report. In: Moura Vicente, D., de Vasconcelos Casimiro, S. (eds) Data Protection in the Internet. Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law, vol 38. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28049-9_17

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