---
kind: "section"
citation: "34 U.S.C. § 12442"
title: "34"
title_heading: "Crime Control and Law Enforcement"
number: "12442"
heading: "Purpose areas"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/34/12442"
units:
  - "Subtitle I — Comprehensive Acts"
  - "Chapter 121 — Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement"
  - "Subchapter III — Violence Against Women"
  - "Part I — Privacy Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Violence, and Stalking"
---

# §12442. Purpose areas


Grants made under this part may be used—

- (1) to develop or improve protocols, procedures, and policies for the purpose of preventing the release of [personally identifying information](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-25) of victims (such as developing alternative identifiers);
- (2) to defray the costs of modifying or improving existing databases, registries, and victim notification systems to ensure that [personally identifying information](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-25) of victims is protected from release, unauthorized information sharing and disclosure;
- (3) to develop confidential opt out systems that will enable victims of violence to make a single request to keep [personally identifying information](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-25) out of multiple databases, victim notification systems, and registries; or
- (4) to develop safe uses of technology (such as notice requirements regarding electronic surveillance by government entities), to protect against abuses of technology (such as electronic or GPS [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36)), or providing training for [law enforcement](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-23) on high tech electronic crimes of [domestic violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-12), [dating violence](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-11), [sexual assault](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-35), and [stalking](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-36).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, § 41102, as added Pub. L. 109–162, title I, § 107, Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 2983.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 14043b–1 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.