# US rules that sit on a chat transcript

> 5 US rules that sit on a chat transcript before it is reused or licensed, read 28 October 2026.

Sell Chat Transcripts to AI · https://sellchattranscriptstoai.com/datasets/chat-transcript-law/ · computed 2026-10-28

**US rules on the register:** 5 rules (5 statute and rule pages read; 7 named).

## The answers, question by question

- **What part of a chat it touches:** a message read while it is being sent 2, a child's messages and personal information 1, the stored contents of a conversation 1, whether the other side is a bot 1
- **What it asks before reuse or disclosure:** consent 2, verifiable parental consent 1, not stated 1, clear disclosure 1
- **Whether a person can sue:** not stated 5
- **The rule, in its words:** stated 5

## Every rule

| Rule | What part of a chat it touches | What it asks before reuse or disclosure | Whether a person can sue | The rule, in its words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 CFR Part 312 (COPPA rule) | a child's messages and personal information | verifiable parental consent | not stated | Provide a reasonable means for a parent to review the personal information collected from… |
| 18 U.S.C. 2510 | a message read while it is being sent | not stated | not stated | "contents", when used with respect to any wire, oral, or electronic communication… |
| 18 U.S.C. 2702 (Stored Communications Act) | the stored contents of a conversation | consent | not stated | a person or entity providing an electronic communication service to the public shall not… |
| California Business and Professions Code 17941 | whether the other side is a bot | clear disclosure | not stated | A person using a bot shall not be liable under this section if the person discloses that… |
| California Penal Code 631 | a message read while it is being sent | consent | not stated | or who willfully and without the consent of all parties to the communication, or in any… |

## The sentence each answer rests on (20)

- 16 CFR Part 312 (COPPA rule), [16 CFR Part 312](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-312), read 2026-10-08, What part of a chat it touches: "verifiable parental consent prior to any collection, use, and/or disclosure of personal information from children"
- 16 CFR Part 312 (COPPA rule), [16 CFR Part 312](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-312), read 2026-10-08, What it asks before reuse or disclosure: "verifiable parental consent prior to any collection, use, and/or disclosure of personal information from children"
- 16 CFR Part 312 (COPPA rule), [16 CFR Part 312](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-312), read 2026-10-08, Whether a person can sue: Nothing on this statute or rule page answers it (62,239 characters of statute or rule page text, read 2026-10-08).
- 16 CFR Part 312 (COPPA rule), [16 CFR Part 312](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-312), read 2026-10-08, The rule, in its words: "Provide a reasonable means for a parent to review the personal information collected from a child and to refuse to permit its further use or maintenance"
- 18 U.S.C. 2510, [18 U.S.C. 2510, definitions](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap119-sec2510.htm), read 2026-10-28, What part of a chat it touches: ""electronic communication" means any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature"
- 18 U.S.C. 2510, [18 U.S.C. 2510, definitions](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap119-sec2510.htm), read 2026-10-28, What it asks before reuse or disclosure: Nothing on this statute or rule page answers it (19,272 characters of statute or rule page text, read 2026-10-28).
- 18 U.S.C. 2510, [18 U.S.C. 2510, definitions](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap119-sec2510.htm), read 2026-10-28, Whether a person can sue: Nothing on this statute or rule page answers it (19,272 characters of statute or rule page text, read 2026-10-28).
- 18 U.S.C. 2510, [18 U.S.C. 2510, definitions](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap119-sec2510.htm), read 2026-10-28, The rule, in its words: ""contents", when used with respect to any wire, oral, or electronic communication, includes any information concerning the substance, purport, or meaning of that communication"
- 18 U.S.C. 2702 (Stored Communications Act), [18 U.S.C. 2702](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap121-sec2702.htm), read 2026-10-28, What part of a chat it touches: "shall not knowingly divulge to any person or entity the contents of a communication while in electronic storage by that service"
- 18 U.S.C. 2702 (Stored Communications Act), [18 U.S.C. 2702](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap121-sec2702.htm), read 2026-10-28, What it asks before reuse or disclosure: "with the lawful consent of the originator or an addressee or intended recipient of such communication, or the subscriber in the case of remote computing service"
- 18 U.S.C. 2702 (Stored Communications Act), [18 U.S.C. 2702](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap121-sec2702.htm), read 2026-10-28, Whether a person can sue: Nothing on this statute or rule page answers it (10,035 characters of statute or rule page text, read 2026-10-28).
- 18 U.S.C. 2702 (Stored Communications Act), [18 U.S.C. 2702](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap121-sec2702.htm), read 2026-10-28, The rule, in its words: "a person or entity providing an electronic communication service to the public shall not knowingly divulge to any person or entity the contents of a communication"
- California Business and Professions Code 17941, [Business and Professions Code section 17941](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17941), read 2026-10-24, What part of a chat it touches: "It shall be unlawful for any person to use a bot to communicate or interact with another person in California online, with the intent to mislead the other person about its artificial identity"
- California Business and Professions Code 17941, [Business and Professions Code section 17941](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17941), read 2026-10-24, What it asks before reuse or disclosure: "The disclosure required by this section shall be clear, conspicuous, and reasonably designed to inform persons with whom the bot communicates or interacts that it is a bot."
- California Business and Professions Code 17941, [Business and Professions Code section 17941](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17941), read 2026-10-24, Whether a person can sue: Nothing on this statute or rule page answers it (1,684 characters of statute or rule page text, read 2026-10-24).
- California Business and Professions Code 17941, [Business and Professions Code section 17941](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17941), read 2026-10-24, The rule, in its words: "A person using a bot shall not be liable under this section if the person discloses that it is a bot."
- California Penal Code 631, [Penal Code section 631](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=631), read 2026-10-28, What part of a chat it touches: "reads, or attempts to read, or to learn the contents or meaning of any message, report, or communication while the same is in transit or passing"
- California Penal Code 631, [Penal Code section 631](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=631), read 2026-10-28, What it asks before reuse or disclosure: "willfully and without the consent of all parties to the communication"
- California Penal Code 631, [Penal Code section 631](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=631), read 2026-10-28, Whether a person can sue: Nothing on this statute or rule page answers it (3,639 characters of statute or rule page text, read 2026-10-28).
- California Penal Code 631, [Penal Code section 631](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=631), read 2026-10-28, The rule, in its words: "or who willfully and without the consent of all parties to the communication, or in any unauthorized manner, reads, or attempts to read"

## Read and set aside

- [California Business and Professions Code 17940 (bot definitions)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17940): the definitions section for Business and Professions Code 17941, which is recorded from its own text

## Methodology

Each rule's own California statutes, the US Code and the eCFR were read through estate-fetch and stored whole (sha256 on every row). For every statute or rule page, four questions were answered from its own words: what part of a chat it touches, what it asks before reuse or disclosure, whether a person can sue, the rule, in its words. Every stated answer carries the sentence it rests on, checked against the stored text; 'not stated' means the statute or rule page read does not address the question. A rule with several statute and rule pages reads 'varies' where they disagree. 5 rules, 5 statute and rule pages.

## Sources

- [California Penal Code 631 (wiretapping, reading a communication in transit)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=631) (read)
- [California Business and Professions Code 17941 (bot disclosure)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17941) (read)
- [California Business and Professions Code 17940 (bot definitions)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=17940) (not-terms)
- [California Civil Code 1798.100 (CCPA notice at collection, purpose limits)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=1798.100) (unread)
- [18 U.S.C. 2510 (definitions: electronic communication, contents)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap119-sec2510.htm) (read)
- [18 U.S.C. 2702 (Stored Communications Act: voluntary disclosure of contents)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title18/html/USCODE-2023-title18-partI-chap121-sec2702.htm) (read)
- [16 CFR Part 312 (COPPA rule: children's personal information online)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-312) (read)

## Cite or embed

- 5 US rules that sit on a chat transcript before it is reused or licensed, read 28 October 2026.
- What part of a chat it touches, by rule: a message read while it is being sent 2 of 5, whether the other side is a bot 1 of 5, a child's messages and personal information 1 of 5, the stored contents of a conversation 1 of 5 (5 rules, read 28 October 2026).
- What it asks before reuse or disclosure, by rule: consent 2 of 5, clear disclosure 1 of 5, not stated 1 of 5, verifiable parental consent 1 of 5 (5 rules, read 28 October 2026).
- Whether a person can sue, by rule: not stated 5 of 5 (5 rules, read 28 October 2026).
- The rule, in its words, by rule: stated 5 of 5 (5 rules, read 28 October 2026).

Cite as: "US rules that sit on a chat transcript", updated 2026-10-28, https://sellchattranscriptstoai.com/datasets/chat-transcript-law/.

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