15 USC § 176a - Confidential nature of information furnished Bureau

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t15/s176a"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "15 USC § 176a - Confidential nature of information furnished Bureau"
title_number: 15
title_name: "COMMERCE AND TRADE"
section_number: "176a"
section_name: "Confidential nature of information furnished Bureau"
chapter_number: 5
chapter_name: "STATISTICAL AND COMMERCIAL INFORMATION"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Jan. 27, 1938, ch. 11, § 1, 52 Stat. 8; Pub. L. 107–347, title V, § 526(a), Dec. 17, 2002, 116 Stat. 2969; Pub. L. 115–435, title III, § 302(c)(4), Jan. 14, 2019, 132 Stat. 5553.)"
---


# § 176a. Confidential nature of information furnished Bureau

Any statistical information furnished in confidence to the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce by individuals, corporations, and firms shall be held to be confidential, and shall be used only for the statistical purposes for which it is supplied. Except as provided in subchapter III of chapter 35 of title 44, the Director of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce shall not permit anyone other than the sworn employees of the Bureau to examine such individual reports, nor shall he permit any statistics of domestic commerce to be published in such manner as to reveal the identity of the individual, corporation, or firm furnishing such data.

---

**Source Credit**: (Jan. 27, 1938, ch. 11, § 1, 52 Stat. 8; Pub. L. 107–347, title V, § 526(a), Dec. 17, 2002, 116 Stat. 2969; Pub. L. 115–435, title III, § 302(c)(4), Jan. 14, 2019, 132 Stat. 5553.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2019— substituted “subchapter III of chapter 35 of title 44” for “the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002”.

2002— substituted “Except as provided in the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002, the” for “The”.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2019 Amendment

Amendment by  effective 180 days after , see , set out as a note under , Government Organization and Employees.

### Transitional and Savings Provisions

For transitional and savings provisions related to the amendment of this section and other provisions of law by title III of , see , set out as a note under , Public Printing and Documents.

## Executive Documents

### Transfer of Functions

For transfer of functions of Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, see note set out under .