Opinion ID: 2828917
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Meaning of “Obtain”

Text: Section 2724 of the DPPA provides a cause of action for impermissible “obtain[ment], disclos[ure] or use[]” of personal information. Several Local Entities argue that the alleged accesses of information at issue do not constitute “obtain[ments]” under § 2724 of the DPPA. They contend that “obtain” means “to hold onto or possess,” that there must be deprivation or physical possession of the information, and that mere viewing is not sufficient. Although the etymology of the word “obtain” shows that its derivation is a Latin word meaning “to hold on to, possess,” in modern usage, “obtain” means “to gain or attain,” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 803 (10th ed. 1998), or “to get, acquire,” Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern American Usage 74 (3d ed. 2009). Because the personal information at issue is intangible in nature, it is gained or acquired when it is accessed or observed. Congress could not have intended to require physical procurement of intangible information. In the context of the DPPA, the word “obtain” unambiguously includes access and observation of the data.6 6 Because the meaning of “obtain” in this context is unambiguous, Local Entities’ various arguments that depend on interpreting ambiguity in their favor fail. -16-