Consumer privacy has become a very public issue. Acts such as terrorism, identity fraud, identity theft, etc. all have some connection with mishandled private information.

The local, state and federal government continue to work together to develop legislation that is designed to help ensure the privacy and protection of individuals as well as businesses. Here are a few of the laws that are currently in place around the world:

• Fair & Accurate Transactions Act (FACTA) - The recently signed Fair & Accurate Transactions Act established a national system of fraud detection so victims can alert all three major credit rating agencies with a single phone call. Starting July 1, 2005, employers must destroy personal information about their employees before they throw it out if they got the information from a credit report. That means “shredding or burning” paper documents or “smashing or wiping” computer disks.
  

• Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPPA) - The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is forcing U.S. healthcare providers to change the way they approach their patients’ confidential information.
  

• Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) – The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act has had significant implications for banking and financial industries across the United States, changing the way these institutions handle confidential client information.
  

• Economic Espionage Act – The US Economic Espionage Act guards the confidentiality of trade secrets.