Common Privacy Violations You Can Do Something About

If you feel like you are at the mercy of big companies, their constant demands for your private information and their willy-nilly ways of handling it, you are not alone. But you have more rights than you may realize and there are laws in place to protect your privacy. 

When companies violate your privacy, you can take legal action. You can recover compensation for the financial harm they cause. In some cases, lawsuits brought by privacy violation victims like you end in settlements that force these companies to take better care of private data or stop their deceptive practices. If your privacy has been violated, take action today. Talk to an experienced consumer rights attorney to learn more about your rights and how you can be part of the solution.

Employers and Your Credit Report

Your credit report is not public information. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) companies and individuals must have a good reason to access it and accessing someone’s credit report under false pretenses is a felony. Employers and potential employers must have your written permission before they can legally access your report.

Kids Under 13

As a parent, you have the right to control and review any information collected on your children who are under 13 years old. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires websites to obtain parental consent before collecting or using the personal data of children under 13.

Banks and Credit Card Companies That Share Your Information

Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), also called the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions are allowed to share your personal information for certain purposes, but they are required to tell you how they share it, how they will protect it, what information they collect and notify you of your right to opt out of sharing with third parties.

If you have been the victim of a privacy violation, you can fight back. Please, talk to an experienced attorney right away to learn more about your legal rights.