Consumer Rights Under Current Law

South Carolina residents do not have comprehensive privacy rights under state law as of July 1, 2025. While various legislative proposals have been introduced, the state has not enacted privacy laws providing rights to opt out of targeted advertising, delete personal data, or demand transparency comparable to those in states like California and Virginia[1]. Understanding current rights is crucial for consumers seeking to protect their personal information.

Under existing law, South Carolina consumers have very limited statutory rights regarding their personal data held by private companies. Federal laws like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) provide protections in specific sectors such as credit reporting, healthcare, and financial services. However, these federal protections do not extend to the vast majority of data processing activities conducted by technology companies, retailers, and other businesses operating in the digital economy.

The state’s recognition of common law privacy torts provides some legal recourse for egregious privacy violations, including intrusion upon seclusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light invasion of privacy, and appropriation of name or likeness[2]. These common law protections require individualized legal action and typically apply only to the most serious privacy violations, making them impractical for addressing routine data collection and processing practices that concern most consumers.

South Carolina’s data breach notification law requires businesses to notify consumers when their personal information has been compromised in a security breach, providing some transparency about data security incidents. However, this law is reactive rather than proactive, offering notification after harm has potentially occurred rather than preventing privacy violations or providing ongoing control over personal information.

Your Rights as a South Carolina Resident

South Carolina residents do not have comprehensive statutory privacy rights under state law as of July 1, 2025. The state has not enacted privacy laws providing rights to opt out of targeted advertising, delete personal data, or demand transparency comparable to protections in states like California and Virginia[1].

• Right to know what data is collected: Currently limited to specific sectors like healthcare (HIPAA) and financial services (GLBA). Most businesses have no obligation to disclose data collection practices beyond general privacy policy requirements.
• Right to delete personal information: No general right to deletion exists under South Carolina state law as of July 1, 2025[1].
• Right to opt out of data sales: No state law grants consumers the right to opt out of data sales or sharing[1].
• Right to correct inaccurate data: Limited correction rights exist under federal laws like FCRA for credit information, but no general right to correct personal information held by businesses.
• Right to non-discrimination: No specific privacy-related non-discrimination protections exist, though general consumer protection laws may provide some recourse for retaliatory business practices.

These limitations mean that South Carolina residents have fewer privacy rights than those in states like California, Virginia, or Connecticut, where comprehensive privacy laws provide extensive consumer protections and business obligations.

Official Resources and Contact Information

South Carolina Legislature

Contact your state legislators to advocate for comprehensive privacy legislation. The South Carolina General Assembly website provides contact information for all representatives and senators.

South Carolina State House: https://www.scstatehouse.gov

Legislative Contact Information: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/contact.php

Find Your Representatives: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php

State Consumer Protection Agencies

South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs
File complaints about business practices, identity theft, and consumer protection issues.

Phone: (803) 734-4200 or (800) 922-1594 (toll-free in SC)

Website: Contact through the state consumer protection portal

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5757, Columbia, SC 29250-5757

South Carolina Attorney General

Attorney General Alan Wilson handles consumer protection enforcement and privacy-related legal matters.

Phone: (803) 734-3970

Website: https://www.scag.gov

Contact Form: https://www.scag.gov/about-the-office/contact-us/

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 11549, Columbia, SC 29211

Legislative Advocacy

To advocate for privacy legislation, contact key legislative committees that handle consumer protection and privacy issues. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees typically handle privacy-related legislation.

General Assembly Information: (803) 734-2100

Legislative Services: Contact through the main legislative website for information about committee hearings and public comment opportunities

Federal Resources

Since state privacy protections are limited, federal agencies provide important consumer protection resources.

Federal Trade Commission: File complaints about privacy violations and unfair business practices at consumer.ftc.gov

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: For financial privacy concerns at consumerfinance.gov

Sources and Citations

Last Updated August 2025. Written with contributions from both human authors and Perplexity AI. If you find incorrect or outdated information let us know at support@optery.com.