What type of information does the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act aim to protect?

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) primarily focuses on protecting consumers' personal financial information. This legislation mandates that financial institutions take steps to safeguard sensitive data that individuals provide when engaging in financial services, such as banking, insurance, or investment activities. The act requires these institutions to disclose their information-sharing practices and to protect consumers' personal information against unauthorized access.

The importance of this protection is highlighted in the way it reinforces consumer trust in financial systems. By ensuring that personal financial data, which could include social security numbers, account balances, and transaction histories, is kept confidential, the GLBA aims to prevent identity theft and maintain the overall integrity of the financial sector.

Other options such as public financial statements, company credit ratings, and federal tax information do not fall under the specific consumer protection measures of the GLBA. Public financial statements are accessible for transparency and investor trust, company credit ratings are focused on evaluating business creditworthiness, and federal tax information is protected under different regulations, such as the Internal Revenue Code. Thus, the primary focus of the GLBA is indeed on consumer personal financial information, making that the correct answer.