; (ii) information used for a purpose that is not compatible with the purpose for which the information is maintained and made available in government records; (iii) information obtained from government records for the purpose of selling such information; or (iv) information used to contact or locate a private individual either physically or electronically. (28) Reasonable mechanism The term reasonable mechanism means, in the case of a mechanism for individuals to exercise a right under title I or interact with a covered entity under title II, a mechanism that— (A) is equivalent in availability and ease of use to that of other mechanisms for communicating or interacting with the covered entity; and (B) includes an online means of exercising such right or engaging in such interaction, if such individuals communicate or interact with such covered entity through an online medium or if such covered entity provides information processing services through a public or widely available application programming interface (or similar mechanism). (29) Sell and sale (A) In general The terms sell and sale mean the disclosing of personal information for monetary consideration or for a thing of value by a covered entity to a third party for the purposes of processing, maintaining or disclosing such personal information at the third party’s discretion. (B) Exclusions The terms sell and sale do not include— (i) the disclosing of personal information of an individual to a third party with which the individual has a direct relationship for purposes of providing a product or service requested by the individual or otherwise in a manner that is consistent with an individual’s reasonable expectations considering the context in which the individual provided the personal information to the covered entity; (ii) the disclosing or transfer of personal information to a subsidiary or an affiliate of the covered entity