Hawaii Security Officer Practice Exam

Which federal law primarily governs the protection of personal information?

1. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

2. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

3. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)

4. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The correct answer is: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) primarily governs the protection of personal information, especially regarding medical records and health information. It establishes national standards for the protection of individually identifiable health information, which is referred to as protected health information (PHI). This law applies to healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses that engage in certain electronic transactions. Under HIPAA, entities must implement safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI, along with the individual's right to access their health information. While other laws mentioned in the options also address privacy and the protection of specific types of personal information, they have more focused applications. For instance, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) deals with public access to government information and does not primarily focus on protecting personal information. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) regulates the collection and disclosure of personal financial information but does not extend to health information. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records. Hence, HIPAA stands out as the most comprehensive federal law governing the privacy of personal health information.