I have worked for a local company for a week shy of a year. My manager has talked to other employees about me. HR laws, priivacy and confidentiality??

I'm sorry you lost your job.  Its frustrating to no end to feel that people are talking about you, especially in a negative light.  If your employer is sharing information that is entitled to a privacy protection under the law, such as medical information about you or other financial information, then I'd say maybe you have a complaint.  If the info is simply derogatory in nature but not necessary protected information, then your only potential claim might be for defamation if the information is false.  You'll need to connect the false statements with some type of negative impact on your -- such as it leading to your termination.  Those are difficult cases to prove and win.