Federal data privacy laws The U.S. does not yet have a comprehensive federal consumer data protection law that covers all varieties of private data. But it does have several federal laws that protect specific data sets, such as the U.S. Privacy Act of 1974, HIPAA, COPPA, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
The FTC has supported industry self-regulation and taken enforcement actions as needed. The FTC also has endorsed certain legislative initiatives (e.g., the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) to address specific online privacy concerns.
The collection or use of personal information by the federal government is governed primarily by two laws: the Privacy Act of 1974 and the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002.
When companies tell consumers they will safeguard their personal information, the FTC can and does take law enforcement action to make sure that companies live up these promises.