Privacy and Data Protection

Your personal data faces risks from government databases, surveillance tech, and private companies. From USPS address tracking to REAL ID at airports, protections are evolving with 2025 state privacy laws giving consumers more control over their information.

Government Data Handling

Agencies like the Census Bureau and USPS Informed Delivery manage sensitive details, while new rules address bulk data and social media checks for visitors.

Surveillance and Tech Risks

Facial recognition, Ring cameras, and government surveillance challenge rights, as do cloud-stored DMs and firms like Palantir.

Sensitive Information Protections

Health data post-Roe, like reproductive privacy, and genetic info demand safeguards amid rising state laws and constitutional debates on digital rights.

By GovFacts
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All Articles on Privacy and Data Protection

Why the US Plans to Require Five Years of Social Media History from Visitors

The Department of Homeland Security has published a proposal that would fundamentally alter international travel to the United States. The…

By
GovFacts

REAL ID Enforcement: What Changed in 2025 and the New $45 TSA Fee

For nearly two decades, the implementation of the REAL ID Act of 2005 has loomed on the horizon: a legislative…

By
Alison O'Leary

Who Can See Your New Address: Privacy Risks of the National Change of Address Database

When you file a change of address form with the U.S. Postal Service, you're entering personal information into a vast…

By
Deborah Rod

Overturning Roe v. Wade Also Affected Digital Privacy

For nearly half a century, the Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade stood as a landmark of American…

By
Alison O'Leary

Facial Recognition Technology: How It Works, Where It’s Used, and What It Means for Privacy

Using your face as identification has become routine in modern American life. Millions of people unlock smartphones with a glance,…

By
GovFacts

Can DNA Testing Companies Sell Your Genetic Data?

Americans have mailed over 26 million saliva samples to private companies, paying $79 to $249 each to learn about their…

By
GovFacts

Government Surveillance vs. Personal Privacy

The United States faces a tension between the government's duty to "provide for the common defense" and citizens' right "to…

By
GovFacts

Digital Privacy and the Ninth Amendment: Does the Constitution Protect Your Online Life?

Every click, search query, and location ping from our smartphones creates a digital trail. Our most private conversations, financial records,…

By
GovFacts