The tort of breach of confidence is, in United States law, a common law tort that protects private information that is conveyed in confidence.^[1] A claim for breach of confidence typically requires the information to be of a confidential nature, which was communicated in confidence and was disclosed to the detriment of the claimant.

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Establishing a breach of confidentiality depends on proving the existence and breach of a duty of confidentiality. Courts in the US look at the nature of the relationship between the parties. Most commonly, breach of confidentiality applies to the patient-physician relationship^[2] but it can also apply to relationships involving banks, hospitals, and insurance companies and many others.^[3]

There is no tort of breach of confidence in other common law jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom or Australia, however, there is an equitable doctrine of breach of confidence.

• Abuse of information
• Misuse of private information
• Breach of confidence in English law
• United States free speech exceptions