Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988
Public Law 100-618 · S. 2361 · 100th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 5, 1988 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Cosponsors (10): Sen. Chuck Grassley, Sen. Paul Simon,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit, with certain exceptions, the disclosure of video rental records containing personally identifiable information. Permits the disclosure of such information: (1) to the consumer; (2) with the written consent of the consumer (3) pursuant to a Federal criminal warrant, an equivalent State warrant, a grand jury subpoena, or a court order under specified guidelines; (4) to any person if such disclosure is solely the names and addresses of consumers and the consumer has had the opportunity to prohibit such disclosure; (5) to any person if such disclosure is incident to the ordinary course of business of the video tape service provider; or (6) pursuant to a civil court order.
Permits any person who is aggrieved by a violation of this Act to bring a civil action for damages. Establishes a two-year statute of limitations for such actions.
States that any such information unlawfully obtained may not be used in any court proceeding.
Requires the destruction of personally identifiable records within a specified period of time.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Terrorism, Technology, and Government Information Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Nov 5, 1988Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 100-618.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 27, 1988PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 19, 1988FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- Oct 14, 1988FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Oct 5, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Aug 10, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Terrorism, Technology, and Government Information Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Terrorism, Technology, and Government Information Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jun 6, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Terrorism, Technology, and Government Information Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- May 10, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.