Instead, the judge said, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which sets forth basic privacy protections in non-credit reporting situations, is the relevant federal law and it does allow states to enact more stringent privacy controls.

FORBES: Privacy Showdown

Oh, yes, cite the first amendment: But it is hard to see how you could persuade people that public funding for journalism is a good idea without more robust protection from invasions of privacy, abuses from dilatory or inaccurate reporting, and political bias.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Last weekend, Indiana University privacy researcher Chris Soghoian published a paper on the disturbing lack of reporting requirements for Internet data collection by law enforcement.

FORBES: Apple, Skype, Verizon, Other Firms Flunk Privacy Report Card

But using it in the life-insurance application process would "raise questions" about whether the data would be subject to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, says Rebecca Kuehn of the Federal Trade Commission's division of privacy and identity protection.

WSJ: Insurers Test Data Profiles to Identify Risky Clients

Yet in contrast to the onerous regulatory burdens on industry drug reps, AHRQ has conveniently excused itself from reporting which doctors it contacts or what they are being told, citing as its rationale a privacy law that Congress intended to protect patients (but not doctors).

FORBES: A Lack of Government Transparency: The Devil In The Detailing