Privacy and the Right to Know Grayson Barber, Esq. Grayson Barber, LLC

What is Privacy?  Personal security  Control over personal information  Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures  Individual dignity  Property interest in name, image or likeness  The right to be left alone

Constitutional Privacy Protection  First Amendment right to free expression  Fourth Amendment freedom from governmental overreaching  Substantive liberty interests  New Jersey State Constitution

Federal Statutory Privacy Protection – A Patchwork  Freedom of Information Act  Federal Privacy Act of 1974  Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970  Cable Act of 1984  Electronic Communications Privacy Act  Polygraph Protection Act of 1988  Telephone Consumer Protection Act  Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act

Fair Information Practices 1.Relevance 2.Purpose 3.Use Limitations 4.Quality 5.Security 6.Access 7.Consent 8.Accountability

Fair Information Practices 1.Relevance

Fair Information Practices 1.Relevance 2.Purpose

Fair Information Practices 1.Relevance 2.Purpose 3.Use Limitations

Fair Information Practices 1.Relevance 2.Purpose 3.Use Limitations 4.Quality

Fair Information Practices 1.Relevance 2.Purpose 3.Use Limitations 4.Quality 5.Security

Fair Information Practices 1.Relevance 2.Purpose 3.Use Limitations 4.Quality 5.Security 6.Access

Fair Information Practices 1.Relevance 2.Purpose 3.Use Limitations 4.Quality 5.Security 6.Access 7.Consent

Fair Information Practices 1.Relevance 2.Purpose 3.Use Limitations 4.Quality 5.Security 6.Access 7.Consent 8.Accountability

Reasons for Fair Information Practices  Ensure data collection is fair and subject to law  Build consumer confidence  Establish stable business environment  Reap benefits of new technology while safeguarding key interests

Notice and Opt-Out  Gramm-Leach-Bliley

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Banks Insurance Companies Brokerage Houses

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Banks Insurance Companies Brokerage Houses “Affiliates” Third Parties Notice and “Opt Out”

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Banks Insurance Companies Brokerage Houses “Affiliates” Medical Information

Notice and Opt-Out  Gramm-Leach-Bliley  “Privacy statements” are reservations of rights, disclaimers, warning labels  Enforcement is difficult  No private cause of action  Market-based practices fail to protect privacy  Amplification effect

Failures in Self-Regulation  Identity theft  Prozac in the mail  Toysmart.com  Scarlet letters

What Is To Be Done?  Open government  Opt-in for disclosures of personal data  Fair information practices  Allow lawsuits for invasions of privacy  New laws for new technologies  Ask what actually works

Open Records are Essential for Protecting Privacy  Free expression and privacy are both essential for democracy  Without open government, there is no privacy  Open records can shed light on government without disclosing personal information about individuals

What Can You Do?  Contact your legislators  New Jersey Financial Privacy Act A-3216 and S-2245 

What Can You Do?  Speak up!  Attend meetings of the Privacy Study Commission  Write to the PSC