Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73
§472 Information furnished of confidential character; penalty for divulging information
Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 19— - COTTON STATISTICS AND ESTIMATES › § 472
Summary
Information a business gives under this law must be kept strictly secret and used only for the statistics it was given for. If a Department of Agriculture employee publishes or shares that information without written permission from the Secretary of Agriculture, they commit a crime and, if convicted, face a fine of at least $300 but no more than $1,000, or up to one year in jail, or both, if the court decides.
Full Legal Text
Title 7, §472
Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The information furnished by any individual establishment under the provisions of this chapter shall be considered as strictly confidential and shall be used only for the statistical purpose for which it is supplied. Any employee of the Department of Agriculture who, without the written authority of the Secretary of Agriculture, shall publish or communicate any information given into his possession by reason of his employment under the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not less than $300 or more than $1,000, or imprisoned for a period of not exceeding one year, or both so fined and imprisoned, at the discretion of the court.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
7 U.S.C. § 472
Title 7 — Agriculture
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73