Identity theft,identity piracy or identity infringement occurs when someone uses another's personal identifying information,like their name,identifying number,or credit card number,without their permission,to commit fraud or other crimes. The term identity theft was coined in 1964. Since that time,the definition of identity theft has been legally defined throughout both the U.K. and the U.S. as the theft of personally identifiable information. Identity theft deliberately uses someone else's identity as a method to gain financial advantages or obtain credit and other benefits. The person whose identity has been stolen may suffer adverse consequences,especially if they are falsely held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. Personally identifiable information generally includes a person's name,date of birth,social security number,driver's license number,bank account or credit card numbers,PINs,electronic signatures,fingerprints,passwords,or any other information that can be used to access a person's financial resources.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction over federal civil antitrust law enforcement with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The agency is headquartered in the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington,DC.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is an independent nonprofit research center established in 1994 to protect privacy,freedom of expression,and democratic values in the information age. Based in Washington,D.C.,their mission is to "secure the fundamental right to privacy in the digital age for all people through advocacy,research,and litigation." EPIC believes that privacy is a fundamental right,the internet belongs to people who use it,and there's a responsible way to use technology.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA),15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.,is federal legislation enacted to promote the accuracy,fairness,and privacy of consumer information contained in the files of consumer reporting agencies. It was intended to shield consumers from the willful and/or negligent inclusion of erroneous data in their credit reports. To that end,the FCRA regulates the collection,dissemination,and use of consumer information,including consumer credit information. Together with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA),the FCRA forms the foundation of consumer rights law in the United States. It was originally passed in 1970,and is enforced by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission,the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,and private litigants.
A privacy policy is a statement or legal document that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers,uses,discloses,and manages a customer or client's data. Personal information can be anything that can be used to identify an individual,not limited to the person's name,address,date of birth,marital status,contact information,ID issue,and expiry date,financial records,credit information,medical history,where one travels,and intentions to acquire goods and services. In the case of a business,it is often a statement that declares a party's policy on how it collects,stores,and releases personal information it collects. It informs the client what specific information is collected,and whether it is kept confidential,shared with partners,or sold to other firms or enterprises. Privacy policies typically represent a broader,more generalized treatment,as opposed to data use statements,which tend to be more detailed and specific.
TrustArc Inc. is a privacy compliance technology company based in Walnut Creek,California. The company provides software and services to help corporations update their privacy management processes so they comply with government laws and best practices. Their privacy seal or certification of compliance can be used as a marketing tool.
Christine A. Varney is an American antitrust attorney who served as the U.S. assistant attorney general of the Antitrust Division for the Obama administration and as a Federal Trade commissioner in the Clinton administration. Since August 2011,Varney has been a partner of the New York law firm Cravath,Swaine &Moore,where she chairs the antitrust department.
Jonathan David Leibowitz is an American attorney who served under President Barack Obama as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2009 to 2013. Leibowitz was appointed to the commission in 2004,and resigned in 2013. During Leibowitz's tenure,the FTC brought privacy cases against Google,Facebook and others for violating consumer privacy,as well as enforcement against "pay-for-delay" deals in which pharmaceutical companies paid competitors to stay out of the market. Prior to joining the FTC,Leibowitz was Vice President for Congressional Affairs from 2000 to 2004 of the MPAA.
Pamela LeDeyce Jones Harbour is an American lawyer who served as a member of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2003 to 2009. As of 2021,Harbour is one of just three African-Americans to have served as a member of the FTC. Additionally,she is one of the just three political independents to serve on the body as of 2017.
The United States Commission's fair information practice principles (FIPPs) are guidelines that represent widely accepted concepts concerning fair information practice in an electronic marketplace.
Rachel Elise Barkow is an American professor of law at the New York University School of Law. She is also faculty director of the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law. Her scholarship focuses on administrative and criminal law,and she is especially interested in applying the lessons and theory of administrative law to the administration of criminal justice. In 2007,Barkow won the Podell Distinguished Teaching Award at NYU. In the fall of 2008,she served as the Beneficial Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.
The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been involved in oversight of the behavioral targeting techniques used by online advertisers since the mid-1990s. These techniques,initially called "online profiling",are now referred to as "behavioral targeting";they are used to target online behavioral advertising (OBA) to consumers based on preferences inferred from their online behavior. During the period from the mid-1990s to the present,the FTC held a series of workshops,published a number of reports,and gave numerous recommendations regarding both industry self-regulation and Federal regulation of OBA. In late 2010,the FTC proposed a legislative framework for U.S. consumer data privacy including a proposal for a "Do Not Track" mechanism. In 2011,a number of bills were introduced into the United States Congress that would regulate OBA.
Edith Ramirez is an American attorney who served as a member of the Federal Trade Commission from 2010 to 2017. Ramirez served as FTC Chair from 2013 to 2017,the first person from an ethnic minority to lead the agency.
Do Not Track (DNT) is a formerly official HTTP header field,designed to allow internet users to opt out of tracking by websites—which includes the collection of data regarding a user's activity across multiple distinct contexts,and the retention,use,or sharing of data derived from that activity outside the context in which it occurred.
Do Not Track legislation protects Internet users' right to choose whether or not they want to be tracked by third-party websites. It has been called the online version of "Do Not Call". This type of legislation is supported by privacy advocates and opposed by advertisers and services that use tracking information to personalize web content. Do Not Track (DNT) is a formerly official HTTP header field,designed to allow internet users to opt-out of tracking by websites—which includes the collection of data regarding a user's activity across multiple distinct contexts,and the retention,use,or sharing of that data outside its context. Efforts to standardize Do Not Track by the World Wide Web Consortium did not reach their goal and ended in September 2018 due to insufficient deployment and support.
Maureen Kraemer Ohlhausen is an American lawyer who is a former Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission,a position she held from April 4,2012,to September 25,2018. On January 26,2017,President Donald Trump designated Ohlhausen to serve as Acting Chairwoman of the FTC. In January 2018,she was nominated by President Trump to a seat on the United States Court of Federal Claims. Ohlhausen withdrew her nomination for the federal judiciary in December 2018,opting instead to join Baker Botts as partner and co-chair of the firm's antitrust practice.
Privacy laws vary from state to state within the United States of America. Several states have recently passed new legislation that adapt to changes in cyber security laws,medical privacy laws,and other privacy related laws. State laws are typically extensions of existing United States federal laws,expanding them or changing the implementation of the law.
Noah Joshua Phillips is an American attorney who served on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2018 to 2022. Phillips was appointed to this position in 2018 by President Donald Trump,and was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. During the Biden administration,Phillips was one of two Republicans on the FTC,along with fellow commissioner Christine S. Wilson.
Alvaro Martin Bedoya is an American attorney and government official who has served on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) since 2022.
Melissa Holyoak is an American lawyer serving since 2024 as a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission. She previously served as the solicitor general of Utah from 2020 to 2024.
