Federal Trade Commission Act, Section 5 (unfair or deceptive acts or practices)

Section 5 bans unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce. The FTC uses it as the main federal privacy and data security authority: misrepresenting data practices is deception, and failing to use reasonable security or making harmful data uses can be unfair. Several later privacy statutes (COPPA, PADFA, TAKE IT DOWN) are enforced as if they were FTC rules.