Consumer privacy rights refer to individually identifying information that is protected by law. Consumer information that must be kept confidential includes financial information such as credit card numbers, as well as personal information such as health records. Consumer privacy laws require businesses to act with a certain level of care in regards to handling certain information.

In general, personal information must be protected by the individual. However, if a business claims that they will safeguard information on behalf of a consumer, they will be responsible for ensuring that they keep that information secure according to their contractual obligations.

Some laws exist to protect certain types of information. This prevents the collection of, for example, medical information, under HIPAA. Another example is the collection of the information of minors under COPPA. However, by and large, consumer information is collected by companies and unless the individual explicitly opts out, their data can be collected freely. 

One of the most important steps that any consumer can take in order to protect their personal identifying information is to make the conscious decision to opt out of as many data collection services as possible. This means clearing caches, deleting cookies, and ensuring that the minimum number of trackers are enabled whenever possible.

Companies found to have violated the privacy rights of consumers can face fines and other administrative penalties. While individual infractions may not be costly, the combined cost from thousands or millions of infractions can be severe.