This research guide focuses on U.S. state and federal privacy and information law. The term "privacy law" covers a huge range of federal and state laws and regulations on a wide variety of topics, from common law torts to areas like consumer protection, surveillance, financial privacy, health care privacy, and more. You can find a PDF of the book chapter "An Overview of Privacy Law" as a free download on SSRN (from Privacy Law Fundamentals by Daniel J. Solove and Paul M. Schwartz).
Given the breadth and diversity of laws on this topic, we typically recommend that you start your research with secondary sources such as treatises or legal encyclopedias to help you more quickly identify the specific laws that may govern in your area of research. Practice materials, current awareness (legal news) sources, and journal articles are also discussed on that page. This research guide also includes information on finding federal and state statutes & legislation on privacy law, guidance on finding case law and regulatory and agency materials, and information about privacy law organizations, think tanks, and blogs.
For information on researching international and foreign data protection & privacy law, consult the International and Foreign Cyberspace Law Research Guide: Data Protection & Privacy. In addition, a number of the treatises and resources listed on this guide include discussions of international and/or foreign law.
While not privacy- or information law-specific, these databases may also prove useful:
Created 03/18 (AMG)