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We have previously reported on the requirements, including mandatory risk assessments, of the California Age Appropriate Design Code Act, (CAADCA or Act) and that the Act was enjoined by a federal District Court as likely a violation of the publisher’s free speech rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  The 9th Circuit has upheld that decision, but only as to Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), and gone further to find that such assessments are subject to strict scrutiny and are facially unconstitutional.  See Netchoice, LLC v Rob Bonta, Atty General of the State of California (9th Cir., August 16, 2024) – a copy of the opinion is here.  The Court, however, overruled the District Court as to the injunction of other provisions of CAADCA, such as restrictions on the collection, use, and sale of minor’s personal data and how data practices are communicated.  Today, we will focus on what the decision means for DPIA requirements under consumer protection laws, including the 18 (out of 20) state consumer privacy laws that mandate DPIAs for certain “high-risk” processing activities.

Continue Reading Are Data Practice Risk Assessments at Risk in the US?

Regulators in states without omnibus state privacy laws, like New York, are staking their claim over privacy regulation and enforcement. After months of investigating the deployment of tracking technologies and privacy controls on various websites, the New York State Attorney General (“NY AG”) published its guidance, Website Privacy Controls: A Guide for Business. The NY AG also published a companion guidance for consumers, A Consumer Guide to Web Tracking, which provides a high-level overview of how websites track consumers and what steps consumers can take to protect their privacy. Stay tuned for potential enforcement actions and big-figure settlements. Will New York follow Texas in this regard?

NY AG Investigation and Findings

Tracking technologies, like cookies and tags (i.e., pixels), are utilized by businesses to collect and assess information regarding how individuals interact with the business’ website or mobile app. While tracking technologies can provide valuable insights for businesses, they also raise privacy concerns regarding data collection, selling, sharing, creation of detailed profiles about individuals that are used for targeted advertising, cross-site tracking that leads to a comprehensive understanding of an individual’s interests and behavior without the individual’s knowledge or consent, and more.  The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) is attempting Section 5 Magnuson-Moss rulemaking on this, which they call surveillance capitalism.

Continue Reading Businesses Beware: New York Eyeing Privacy Regulation and Enforcement Even Absent Omnibus State Privacy Law

As we reported in our post about the Minnesota Customer Data Privacy Act, the Rhode Island Data Transparency and Privacy Protection Act (RI-DTPPA) was passed by the state legislature on June 13th.  Governor McKee did not either sign or veto but transmitted it to the Rhode Island Secretary of State. i.e., it is effective without the Governor’s signature. 

1. WHEN IS RI-DTPPA IN FORCE?

The RI-DTPPA effective date is January 1, 2026 – the same date as the customer privacy laws in Indiana and Kentucky. 

Since Vermont’s consumer privacy law was vetoed, the RI-DTPPA makes 20 state consumer privacy laws.  The 19 state customer privacy laws preceding RI-DTPPA (collectively, the State Customer Privacy Laws) are in force as follows.

StateState Customer Privacy Law TitleEffective Date
CaliforniaCalifornia Customer Privacy Act (CCPA)January 1, 2020; CCPA Regulations effective January 1, 2023
ColoradoColorado Privacy ActJuly 1, 2023
ConnecticutConnecticut Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring ActJuly 1, 2023
DelawareDelaware Personal Data Privacy ActJanuary 1, 2025
FloridaFlorida Digital Bill of RightsJuly 1, 2024
IndianaIndiana Customer Data Protection ActJanuary 1, 2026
IowaIowa’s Act Relating to Customer Data ProtectionJanuary 1, 2025
KentuckyKentucky Customer Data PrivacyJanuary 1, 2026
MarylandMaryland Online Data Privacy ActOctober 1, 2025
MinnesotaMinnesota Customer Data Privacy ActJuly 31, 2025
MontanaMontana Customer Data Privacy ActOctober 1, 2024
NebraskaNebraska’s Data Privacy ActJanuary 1, 2025
New HampshireAct Relative to the Expectation of PrivacyJanuary 1, 2025
New JerseyNew Jersey Data Protection ActJanuary 15, 2025
OregonOregon Customer Privacy ActJuly 1, 2024 (July 1, 2025, for in-scope non-profit organizations)
TennesseeTennessee Information Protection ActJuly 1, 2025
TexasTexas Data Privacy and Security ActJuly 1, 2024
UtahUtah Customer Privacy ActDecember 31, 2023
VirginiaVirginia Customer Data Protection ActJanuary 1, 2023
Continue Reading Rhode Island Makes it an Even 20

In a final push before adjourning for the summer, state legislators across the country contemplated consumer privacy laws.  Three legislatures made it to the finish line.  One – Minnesota’s state legislature passed the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act on May 19th as part of an appropriations bill, which was signed by Minnesota’s governor on May 24th.  Of the other two, one is pending gubernatorial action, and the other was vetoed.

The Rhode Island Data Transparency and Privacy Protection Act (RI-DTPA) was passed by the state legislature on June 13th.  Before RI-DTPA becomes law, Governor McKee must either sign, take no action or veto it.  If signed, RI-DTPA is in force on January 1, 2026, like the Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act and Kentucky Consumer Data Privacy.

We are not, however, making assumptions about RI-DTPA’s passage.  This post was originally planned to cover the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act and the Vermont Data Privacy Act, not the RI-DTPA.  On June 13th (the same day that RI-DTPA was passed), Vermont’s Governor Phil Scott vetoed the Vermont Data Privacy Act.  In his letter to Vermont’s General Assembly, Governor Scott noted that the Vermont Data Privacy Act created “big and expensive new burdens and competitive disadvantages for the small and mid-sized businesses Vermont communities rely on.”  He also noted that the private right of action is “a national outlier, and more hostile” than any other state privacy law, notwithstanding its limited scope and sunset.  He raised the possibility of a First Amendment challenge to the Age-Appropriate Design Code (Section 6), noting that “similar legislation in California has already been [preliminarily enjoined] for likely First Amendment violations.” (See here.)  A veto override was not successful.

The RI-DTPA already faces opposition from privacy advocacy organizations claiming that RI-DTPA is too weak (see, e.g., here).  Advertising associations also reportedly oppose RI-DTPA.  Nonetheless, we have highlighted some key elements of RI-DTPA in this post so you can decide for yourself, together with answers to FAQs about the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act (MN-CDPA) and how it is similar to and different from the other state consumer privacy laws.

Continue Reading Minnesota Makes 19: Will Rhode Island’s Privacy Law Replace Vermont’s Vetoed Privacy Law as #20?

Since its inception in 1998, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) has been the cornerstone of protecting the personal data of minors under the age of 13 in the United States. COPPA imposes various requirements, including parental consent, notice and transparency, and data minimization, among other things, on online services that are “directed to children [under 13]” and “mixed audience” online services, or those that have actual knowledge that they have collected personal data from a child [under 13] online.

Many organizations that previously did not have to worry about COPPA or COPPA-based standards as applied to state consumer privacy laws should be aware of the trend in state privacy legislation to expand restrictions and obligations beyond COPPA’s under age 13 standard, to minors that are at least 13 and under the age of 18 (“Teens”). This trend began in 2020 with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) requiring consent for “sale” of personal information of consumers at least age 13 but younger than 16 years of age  (the California Privacy Rights Act expanded that requirement to “sharing” as well). Consent must be given by the Teen or, if the consumer is under age 13, by the parent, using COPPA verification standards. Other relevant aspects regarding this trend, of which organizations should be aware, include:

Continue Reading Trending: Teens’ Data Subject to Heightened Restrictions Under Ten (and Counting?) State Privacy Laws

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

Last week was a busy one for AI regulation. The week started and ended with big news from Colorado: on Monday, Colorado’s legislature passed “Concerning Consumer Protections in Interactions with Artificial Intelligence Systems” (SB 24-205) (Colorado AI Law) and, on Friday, Governor Jared Polis (D) signed the Colorado AI Law “with reservations” according to his letter to Colorado’s legislature. Although the Colorado legislature is the first U.S. lawmaker to pass general AI legislation, Colorado’s Governor has expressly invited Congress to replace the Colorado AI Law with a national regulatory scheme before the Colorado AI Law’s February 1, 2026, effective date.

Continue Reading All Eyes on AI: Colorado Governor Throws Down the Gauntlet on AI Regulation After Colorado General Assembly Passes the Nation’s First AI Law

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

2023 was an eventful year for privacy legislation, regulation and regulatory enforcement. The compliance landscape continues to develop and evolve rapidly, making it difficult for covered businesses to keep up with the myriad requirements. In this post, we discuss some of the year’s most interesting privacy compliance developments globally.

Continue Reading 2023 Privacy Compliance Year in Review