Title 11BankruptcyRelease 119-73

§332 Consumer privacy ombudsman

Title 11 › Chapter CHAPTER 3— - CASE ADMINISTRATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - OFFICERS › § 332

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When a court will hold a hearing about selling or leasing personally identifiable information, it must order the U.S. trustee to appoint, no later than 7 days before the hearing, one disinterested person (not the U.S. trustee) as consumer privacy ombudsman and notify them. The ombudsman may speak at the hearing and must give the court information to help decide, such as debtor’s privacy policy, likely privacy effects and costs for consumers, and alternatives to reduce harm. The ombudsman must not disclose any personally identifiable information obtained under this title.

Full Legal Text

Title 11, §332

Bankruptcy — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)If a hearing is required under section 363(b)(1)(B), the court shall order the United States trustee to appoint, not later than 7 days before the commencement of the hearing, 1 disinterested person (other than the United States trustee) to serve as the consumer privacy ombudsman in the case and shall require that notice of such hearing be timely given to such ombudsman.
(b)The consumer privacy ombudsman may appear and be heard at such hearing and shall provide to the court information to assist the court in its consideration of the facts, circumstances, and conditions of the proposed sale or lease of personally identifiable information under section 363(b)(1)(B). Such information may include presentation of—
(1)the debtor’s privacy policy;
(2)the potential losses or gains of privacy to consumers if such sale or such lease is approved by the court;
(3)the potential costs or benefits to consumers if such sale or such lease is approved by the court; and
(4)the potential alternatives that would mitigate potential privacy losses or potential costs to consumers.
(c)A consumer privacy ombudsman shall not disclose any personally identifiable information obtained by the ombudsman under this title.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2009—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 111–16 substituted “7 days” for “5 days”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2009 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–16 effective Dec. 1, 2009, see section 7 of Pub. L. 111–16, set out as a note under section 109 of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective 180 days after Apr. 20, 2005, and not applicable with respect to cases commenced under this title before such

Effective Date

, except as otherwise provided, see section 1501 of Pub. L. 109–8, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2005 Amendment note under section 101 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

11 U.S.C. § 332

Title 11Bankruptcy

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73