Rights You Have But Don't Know About: A Practical Guide for Every American
Jennifer was fired after mentioning her salary to a coworker. She didn't know that was illegal.
Marcus had his phone confiscated by police for filming a traffic stop. He didn't know the First Amendment protected that right.
Sarah's landlord refused to fix her broken heater for three months. She didn't know she had legal remedies to force repairs.
These Americans all had rights they didn't know about. Rights that could have protected them, helped them, or saved them money. Most of us know about the big constitutional rights like free speech and due process. But there are hundreds of federal and state rights that protect you every day, from your workplace to your doctor's office, from police encounters to your apartment. Rights you've probably never been told about.
This guide covers the practical rights every American should know, regardless of where you live or what you believe. These aren't political opinions. They're legal facts that can protect you and your family.
Your Workplace Rights: What Your Employer Can't Stop You From Doing
Key Fact: Under the National Labor Relations Act, it is illegal for most employers to prohibit or punish employees for discussing their wages with coworkers. This right exists whether you're in a union or not.
One of the most important workplace rights Americans have is also one of the least known: you cannot be fired for discussing your salary with coworkers. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has repeatedly ruled that wage discussions are protected "concerted activity" under federal law.
This protection is broader than just salary talks. Under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, you have the right to:
- Discuss your wages, benefits, and working conditions with coworkers
- Talk about pay on social media platforms like Facebook or X (formerly Twitter)
- Share salary information with labor organizations, the media, or the public
- Join with coworkers to ask for better pay or working conditions
- Circulate petitions about workplace issues
- Refuse to work in unsafe conditions as a group
In December 2024, the NLRB reaffirmed these protections when it ordered full reinstatement and back pay for an employee fired for discussing wages. The Board unanimously agreed that discussing wages is protected activity, whether done in person, over the phone, or in written messages.
What Employers Cannot Do:
- Fire you for discussing wages
- Threaten or discipline you for salary discussions
- Have policies that prohibit wage discussions
- Question you coercively about these activities
- Retaliate against you for filing a complaint with the NLRB
There are limited exceptions. If you have access to company payroll information as part of your job, you cannot share other employees' salary information without authorization. But you always have the right to share your own salary.
Several states have additional protections. Colorado's Wage Transparency Act explicitly prohibits retaliation against employees for sharing wage information. Similar laws exist in other states, often with stronger protections than federal law.
Your Right to Film Police: What the First Amendment Protects
The First Amendment protects your right to record police officers performing their duties in public spaces. This isn't just an opinion. Seven federal circuit courts have explicitly recognized this right, and no circuit court has ruled against it.
Legal Status: The First, Third, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals have all ruled that filming police in public is protected by the First Amendment. In 2025, the Fourth Circuit also recognized this right for livestreaming police encounters.
Here's what you need to know about recording police:
What You Can Do:
- Film or photograph police performing their duties in public places
- Record both video and audio in most states
- Livestream police encounters (recently affirmed by courts)
- Share recordings on social media or with the media
- Record from a reasonable distance that doesn't interfere
What Police Cannot Do:
- Order you to stop recording if you're not interfering
- Confiscate your phone without a warrant
- Delete your photos or videos under any circumstances
- Arrest you solely for recording (though some still try)
- Stand in front of you or shine lights to block recording
The Tenth Circuit ruled in 2022 that an officer who obstructed filming by standing in front of someone and shining a flashlight into their camera violated the First Amendment. The court found that such actions "would chill a person from continuing to film."
Important: You must not interfere with police activities. Stay at a safe distance. If ordered to move back for safety reasons, comply but continue recording from the new position. Always be respectful and avoid aggressive behavior that could lead to legitimate charges.
State-Specific Audio Recording Laws
While video recording is protected nationwide, audio recording laws vary by state. In "one-party consent" states like Texas, you can record your own interactions with police. In "two-party consent" states, recording police performing official duties in public is still generally protected because there's no reasonable expectation of privacy in public spaces.
Your Healthcare Privacy Rights: What HIPAA Actually Protects
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) gives you specific rights over your medical information. Many people think HIPAA just prevents gossip about medical conditions. It's actually much broader.
Your HIPAA Rights Include:
Access and Control Rights:
- Right to Access: You can see and get copies of your medical records, usually within 30 days
- Right to Correct: You can request corrections to inaccurate information
- Right to Know: You must be told how your information is used and shared
- Right to Restrict: You can request limits on uses and disclosures
- Right to Confidential Communications: You can request communications by alternative means or locations
- Right to Notice: You must receive a Notice of Privacy Practices
HIPAA has been updated for 2024-2025 with new protections for reproductive health information. Healthcare providers cannot use or disclose reproductive health information for investigations or to impose liability on anyone seeking, obtaining, providing, or facilitating reproductive healthcare that was legal where it was provided.
Who Must Follow HIPAA:
- Healthcare providers (doctors, hospitals, pharmacies)
- Health insurance companies
- Healthcare clearinghouses
- Business associates of these entities
Who Doesn't Have to Follow HIPAA:
- Most employers (unless they're providing healthcare)
- Life insurance companies
- Workers' compensation carriers
- Many health apps (unless connected to covered entities)
- Fitness trackers and wellness apps
Your health information cannot be used or shared without your written permission except for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, and specific situations like public health requirements or law enforcement with proper legal process.
Your Housing Rights: What Landlords Must Do
Every state has an "implied warranty of habitability" that requires landlords to maintain rental properties in a livable condition. This exists whether your lease mentions it or not. You cannot sign away these rights.
Universal Right: Landlords must maintain rental properties to be safe, sanitary, and fit for human habitation. This warranty exists in every residential lease, written or oral, and cannot be waived even if you sign a lease accepting the property "as is."
Landlords Must Provide:
- Working plumbing, heating, and electrical systems
- Hot and cold running water
- Adequate heat in winter (specific temperatures vary by locality)
- Secure locks on doors and windows
- Structurally sound buildings (no leaking roofs, broken stairs)
- Freedom from pest infestations
- Working smoke detectors
- Compliance with local housing codes
Your Remedies When Landlords Don't Make Repairs:
Legal Options Available to Tenants:
- Written Notice: Always start by notifying your landlord in writing and keeping copies
- Report to Authorities: Contact local code enforcement or health departments
- Repair and Deduct: In many states, you can make emergency repairs and deduct from rent (follow state procedures carefully)
- Rent Escrow: Pay rent to court while requesting repairs (available in many states)
- Rent Reduction: Some jurisdictions allow rent reductions for habitability issues
- Small Claims Court: Sue for costs of repairs you made
- Constructive Eviction: In severe cases, you may be able to break your lease
Important: Landlords cannot retaliate against you for requesting repairs, reporting code violations, or exercising your rights. Retaliatory evictions are illegal in most states.
Timing matters. Landlords generally have 24 hours for emergency conditions, 30 days for hazardous conditions, and 90 days for non-hazardous issues, though this varies by state and locality.
Your Digital Privacy Rights: New Protections in Your State
While there's no comprehensive federal privacy law, 20 states have enacted consumer data privacy laws as of 2025, with more coming online each year. Even if your state doesn't have a law yet, you have some federal protections.
States With Consumer Privacy Laws (2025):
- California (strongest protections with CCPA/CPRA)
- Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia
- Utah, Iowa, Indiana
- Tennessee, Montana, Texas
- Oregon, Delaware, New Jersey
- New Hampshire, Kentucky, Nebraska
- Maryland, Minnesota, Rhode Island
- Florida (limited to large companies)
If you live in these states, you generally have the right to:
Your Data Rights in Privacy Law States:
- Know what personal data companies collect about you
- Access and receive copies of your data
- Correct inaccurate information
- Delete your personal data (with exceptions)
- Opt out of data sales
- Opt out of targeted advertising
- Opt out of certain profiling
California residents have additional rights including the ability to use a single deletion mechanism for data brokers starting in 2026. The California Privacy Protection Agency can fine violators and has begun active enforcement.
Federal Protections That Apply Nationwide:
- Children's Privacy (COPPA): Websites cannot collect data from children under 13 without parental consent
- Financial Privacy (GLBA): Financial institutions must explain their information-sharing practices
- Credit Information (FCRA): You have rights to access and correct your credit reports
- Educational Records (FERPA): Parents and eligible students control education records
The FTC can take action against companies that engage in unfair or deceptive practices regarding data privacy, even without specific privacy laws.
Additional Rights You Should Know
Consumer Rights:
- Three-Day Cooling Off Period: For many door-to-door sales over $25, you have three business days to cancel
- Free Credit Reports: You're entitled to one free credit report from each bureau annually
- Debt Collection Limits: Collectors cannot call before 8 AM or after 9 PM, cannot contact you at work if told not to, and must stop contacting you if you request it in writing
- Warranty Rights: Implied warranties exist even if not written, and warranty disclaimers must be conspicuous
Communication Rights:
- Do Not Call Registry: Telemarketers must honor your registration (some exceptions apply)
- Robocall Consent: Companies need your written consent for robocalls to cell phones
- Email Unsubscribe: Commercial emails must include a working unsubscribe option
- Text Message Stop: Replying "STOP" must end commercial text messages
Travel and Transportation Rights:
- Airline Bumping Compensation: If involuntarily bumped from a flight, you're entitled to compensation up to $1,550
- Towing Notice: Many states require notice before towing from private property
- Rental Car Damage Waivers: Your personal auto insurance or credit card may already cover you
How to Protect and Assert Your Rights
Knowing your rights is only the first step. Here's how to protect them:
Document Everything:
- Keep written records of all important interactions
- Save emails, texts, and written communications
- Take photos when relevant
- Note dates, times, and names of people involved
Communicate in Writing:
- Follow up verbal conversations with written summaries
- Send important requests by certified mail or email
- Keep copies of everything you send
Know Where to Get Help:
- NLRB for workplace rights: File complaints online at nlrb.gov
- HUD for housing discrimination: 1-800-669-9777
- FTC for consumer issues: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- State Attorney General offices for state law violations
- Legal aid organizations for free legal help if you qualify
Act Quickly:
- Many rights have time limits for asserting them
- Statutes of limitations vary by type of claim
- Some rights require specific procedures to preserve them
Common Misconceptions About Your Rights
Myth vs. Reality:
- Myth: "My employer can fire me for any reason." Reality: Many reasons are illegal, including discussing wages
- Myth: "Police can take my phone if I'm filming them." Reality: Only with a warrant or arrest
- Myth: "I signed a lease as-is, so no repairs required." Reality: Habitability rights can't be waived
- Myth: "Companies can do whatever they want with my data." Reality: Growing state and federal protections exist
Your Rights Are Your Power
These rights exist to protect every American, regardless of political affiliation, income level, or background. They're not suggestions or guidelines. They're legal protections you can enforce.
Too often, people suffer violations of their rights simply because they don't know these protections exist. Employers get away with illegal policies. Police officers violate constitutional rights. Landlords ignore their obligations. Companies misuse personal data. All because people don't know they have recourse.
Knowledge of your rights isn't about being confrontational or difficult. It's about ensuring fair treatment under the law. It's about protecting yourself and your family from those who would take advantage of your lack of knowledge.
How AHRI Helps Protect Your Rights
The American Human Rights Initiative Foundation works to ensure all Americans know and can exercise their legal rights. We provide education, resources, and support to help people understand and defend their protections under the law.
Through our community education programs, we teach practical rights awareness. Our policy work focuses on strengthening and clarifying rights protections. Our resource center provides free information to help Americans understand their legal protections.
We believe that an informed citizenry is essential to a functioning democracy. When people know their rights, they can protect themselves, their families, and their communities from abuse and exploitation.
Knowledge Is Protection
Every right in this guide represents a protection that someone fought to establish. These aren't abstract concepts. They're practical tools you can use today to protect yourself from exploitation, ensure fair treatment, and maintain your dignity in everyday situations. Share this guide. Talk about these rights. The more Americans who know their protections, the harder it becomes for anyone to violate them.
Take Action: Know, Share, Defend
Three Steps to Protect Your Rights:
- Know Your Rights: Bookmark this guide and refer to it when needed
- Share This Knowledge: Tell friends, family, and coworkers about rights they might not know
- Defend Your Rights: Use proper channels to report violations and seek remedies
Remember: These rights protect you only if you know about them and are willing to assert them. Don't let lack of knowledge leave you vulnerable. Don't let others violate your rights because they assume you don't know better.
Your rights are not gifts from the government. They're protections that belong to you as an American. Use them.