15 C.F.R. § 1500.72 – Confidential treatment.

(a) Trade secrets and commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential obtained from books, records, or reports under the Act, this Order shall be kept confidential by all persons, including all employees and former employees of the Board, all officers and employees and former officers and employees of contracting and subcontracting agencies or agreeing parties having access to such information. Such information shall not be available to Board members or manufacturers. Only those persons having a specific need for such information to effectively administer the provisions of this Order shall have access to such information. Such information may be disclosed only if the Secretary considers the information relevant; and the information is revealed in a judicial proceeding or administrative hearing brought at the direction or on the request of the Secretary or to which the Secretary or any officer of the Department is a party. Any officer, employee, or agent of the Department of Commerce or any officer, employee, or agent of the Board who willfully violates this paragraph shall be fined not more than $1,000 and imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prohibit:
1. (1) The issuance of general statements based upon the reports of the number of persons subject to this Order or statistical data collected therefrom, which statements do not identify the information furnished by any person; and
2. (2) The publication, by direction of the Secretary, of the name of any person who has been adjudged to have violated this Order, together with a statement of the particular provisions of this Order violated by such person.
(b) For any officer, employee, or agent of the Department of Commerce, these provisions are consistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter any obligations, rights, or liabilities created by existing statute or Executive order relating to classified information, communications to Congress, the reporting to an Inspector General of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or any other whistleblower protection. The definitions, requirements, obligations, rights, sanctions, and liabilities created by controlling Executive Orders and statutory provisions are incorporated into this Order and are controlling.