Legal Definitions - informational privacy

Informational privacy refers to an individual's right to control the collection, use, storage, and disclosure of their personal information. It encompasses the ability to determine who can access one's data, for what purposes, and under what conditions. This concept is fundamental in the digital age, where vast amounts of personal data are routinely collected and processed.

Here are some examples illustrating informational privacy:

• Medical Records: When a patient visits a doctor, they share highly sensitive health information. Informational privacy ensures that this medical data, including diagnoses, treatments, and personal health history, cannot be shared with unauthorized third parties, such as employers or marketing companies, without the patient's explicit consent. Laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States are designed to protect this type of informational privacy, giving individuals control over who sees their health records.

• Online Shopping Data: Imagine a person regularly shops online for specific types of products, like gardening tools or pet supplies. Informational privacy means that the individual should have the right to know what data e-commerce websites collect about their browsing habits and purchase history. Furthermore, they should have options to control whether this data is sold to third-party advertisers or used to create targeted advertisements, allowing them to manage how their online activities are used for commercial purposes.

• Financial Transactions: When an individual uses a credit card or makes a bank transfer, a record of that transaction is created. Informational privacy dictates that financial institutions must protect this sensitive data, including account balances, transaction details, and credit scores. Banks are generally prohibited from disclosing this information to unauthorized entities without the account holder's permission, safeguarding the individual's control over their financial footprint and preventing misuse of their economic data.