Happy Data Privacy Day. Legally speaking, you’re mostly on your own.

[Commentary] January 28 is Data Privacy Day -- an actually recognized pseudo-holiday that the US Congress first made official in 2009, two years after the European Council did the same.

It's nice to have a day on which we all personally recognize the importance of data privacy. Because, legally speaking, we're more or less on our own. Apart from specific kinds of data such as health information, financial information, and student records, there really isn't a broad privacy law here in the U.S. of A. To be fair, privacy is a tricky thing. We all profess to want it, but then give it away all the time -- especially in a modern age when pieces of personal information are not only social currency but also more or less the basis for the entire world of online commerce. And even in cases where people agree on the principles of what should go into privacy legislation, the details are another matter entirely.