Data protection in the United States is governed by a combination of federal and state laws. The primary federal law governing data protection is the Privacy Act of 1974, which applies to personal information collected, maintained, and used by federal agencies.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is another federal law that governs the protection of personal health information. It applies to healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses.
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a federal law that regulates the collection of personal information from children under the age of 13. It applies to websites and online services that are directed at children or that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information from children.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation from the European Union (EU) that applies to organizations that process personal data of EU citizens, regardless of where the organization is located. US companies that operate in the EU or that have EU customers are also subject to GDPR.
In addition to federal laws, some states have their own data protection laws. For example, California has the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which gives California residents the right to know what personal information businesses collect about them and the right to request that their personal information be deleted.
Overall, data protection laws in the United States aim to protect individuals' personal information and privacy while balancing the needs of businesses to collect and use personal information for legitimate business purposes.
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