In 1970, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) became one of the first instances of data protection law passed in the computer age, protecting consumers from having their personal consumer reports used against them without their knowledge. The FCRA regulates consumer reporting agencies, users of consumer reports and furnishers of consumer information. It has two key stipulations: every consumer has a right to know what is in their report from any of these agencies and reporting agencies may only provide information to people with a valid need. Non-FCRA providers, on the other hand, offer solutions designed to help their clients conduct investigations. Law enforcement, government agencies, corporations, and banks often include identifying or locating people; identifying government fraud, waste and abuse investigations; uncovering law enforcement/legal investigations; and identifying financial crime investigations. Even these providers are governed by permissible use laws in order to prevent unauthorized or illegal use of public records.
