California

As reported previously, the California Privacy Protection Agency (“CPPA”) closed the public comment period for its proposed cybersecurity audit, risk assessment and automated decision-making technology (“ADMT”) regulations (the “Proposed Regulations”) in late February. In advance of the CPPA’s April 4 meeting, the CPPA released a new draft of the Proposed Regulations, which proposed relatively minor substantive changes, but pushed back the dates for when certain obligations would become effective. The Agency’s Board met on April 4, 2025, to discuss the new proposals and comments received, as well as the potential for some very different alternatives, especially related to ADMT. Members of the CPPA Board debated the staff’s approach and ultimately sent the staff back to narrow the scope of the Proposed Regulations, clarify what was in and out of scope with more examples, and to further consider how to reduce the costs and burdens on businesses. While it is unclear exactly what staff will come back with, the alternatives discussed provide some hints on what a more constrained approach may look like.Continue Reading The Future for California’s Latest Generation of Privacy Regulations is Uncertain

As we have covered, the public comment period closed on February 19th for the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) draft regulations on automated decision-making technology, risk assessments and cybersecurity audits under the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “Draft Regulations”).  One comment that has surfaced (the CPPA has yet to publish the comments), in particular, stands out — a letter penned by 14 Assembly Members and four Senators. These legislators essentially charged the CPPA for being over its skis, calling out “the Board’s incorrect interpretation that CPPA is somehow authorized to regulate AI.” Continue Reading CA Legislators Charge That Privacy Agency AI Rulemaking Is Beyond Its Authority

We are pleased to announce that we will be participating in the California Lawyers Association Privacy Law Section’s 2025 Annual Privacy Summit in Los Angeles, CA.

Join Alan Friel for a session on CA Rulemaking: Unpacking the CCPA cybersecurity audit, privacy risk assessment regulations, and ADMT. The panel will review the draft ADMT regulations, interpret…

State legislatures across the country were busy in 2023 and so far this year passing comprehensive consumer privacy laws and creating a vexing patchwork of compliance obligations.

Legislatures in Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Montana, Florida, Texas, Oregon, Delaware, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska and Minnesota all enacted consumer privacy laws of their own with an additional consumer privacy law in Vermont awaiting action by the Governor. The fifteen laws passed in 2023 and 2024 join laws in California, Virginia, Colorado, Utah, and Connecticut which already are in effect. A chart at the end of this blog post notes each law’s effective date, three of which are effective at the end of this month.

While inspired by the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), the new state consumer privacy laws take materially different approaches in many ways. States also have passed more targeted privacy laws pertaining specifically to consumer health data (beyond treating it as a category of sensitive personal data), the protection of children (beyond limiting the use of personal data), AI-specific laws (not part of a comprehensive consumer data regime) and laws regulating data brokers (typically controllers that sell personal data they do not directly collect from consumers). Congress continues to consider a federal law that would mostly preempt the state consumer privacy laws, as well as other laws specific to children’s online safety with partial preemption. In the meantime, data controllers (and to a lesser degree processors) face the challenge of determining which state consumer privacy laws apply and whether to apply applicable laws based on consumer residency or to apply a national highest standard to all consumers.

The SPB privacy team has developed a comprehensive guide on state consumer privacy laws, including comparison charts on key issues to help determine which laws apply and tips for enhancing information governance. Most of the new state consumer privacy laws require controllers to conduct and retain documentation of data privacy impact or risk assessments. Minnesota’s new consumer privacy law also requires a documented privacy compliance program reasonably designed to ensure compliance and data inventories. The most recent draft of the federal privacy law mandates privacy-by-design.

Following are some highlights of the emerging ‘high water mark’ (strictest requirement) for key aspects of consumer privacy in the United States:Continue Reading State Privacy Law Patchwork Presents Challenges

This week, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) unveiled their bipartisan, bicameral discussion draft of the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA draft).[1] Chair Rodgers’ and Chair Cantwell’s announcement of the APRA draft surprised many congressional observers after comprehensive privacy legislation stalled in 2022.Continue Reading April’s APRA: Could Draft Privacy Legislation Blossom into Law in 2024?

In case you missed it, below are recent posts from Privacy World covering the latest developments on data privacy, security and innovation. Please reach out to the authors if you are interested in additional information.

Never Beyond the Law – the Spanish AEPD’s Position on the Processing of Whistleblower Data | Privacy World

Singapore to…

In case you missed it, below are recent posts from Privacy World covering the latest developments on data privacy, security and innovation. Please reach out to the authors if you are interested in additional information.Continue Reading Privacy World Week in Review

The California Privacy Protection Agency (“CPPA”) has published revised draft regulations detailing what it proposes to be required of businesses under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) to assess, mitigate and document risk before engaging in specified types processing of California residents’ personal information, and on March 8th is set to vote on advancing them to the public comment stage of rulemaking.Continue Reading More Detail on U.S. Data Processing Assessment Requirements

In 2023, we analyzed the laws in Arkansas, Texas and Utah that require age verification and parental consent before allowing minors to create accounts on social media and other interactive platforms.  A similar law – Secure Online Child Interaction And Age Limitation (SOCIAL) Act – was passed in Louisiana, which has an in-force date of July 1, 2024.  Ohio legislators also enacted the Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act (Ohio Act).  All of these laws have requirements that are similar to the proposed federal law titled “Kids Online Safety Act” (KOSA), which we explain in a companion post).Continue Reading Protecting Kids Online – Part II

Protection for minors online continues to top the list of U.S. regulatory and legislative priorities in 2024. So far in 2024, legislators in California introduced several bills focused on minors; Congress held hearings and advanced federal legislation protecting minors online; and constitutional challenges to 2023 state laws focused on minors’ social networking accounts advanced in the Courts. Congress and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are looking to update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and corresponding Rule, as detailed in another post. However, the proposals explained in this post extend far beyond online privacy concerns, and we believe more focus on minors’ online safety is on the way.Continue Reading Protecting Kids Online: Changes in California, Connecticut and Congress – Part I