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Kathryn Smith is a fellow in the firm's Chicago office.

The CPPA, the California regulatory body charged with enforcing CCPA, has now issued draft regulations on risk assessments and cybersecurity audits. The draft was released ahead of a public board meeting to discuss those topics (among other things).

Continue Reading What Do the CPPA’s Draft Regulations on Risk Assessments and Cybersecurity Audits Mean for Companies?

After some delay, Delaware’s governor has at last signed into law the thirteenth state comprehensive privacy law. This is the seventh law passed in 2023, joining Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Montana, Florida, and Oregon. The law takes effect on January 1, 2025. The bill was passed by Delaware’s congress at the end of June and was sent to the governor’s office for signature on June 30, 2023. He did not sign it, though, until this week.

Continue Reading The “First State” Officially Becomes the Thirteenth State with a Comprehensive Data Privacy Law

It’s been a busy summer for US state privacy laws, and companies now need to keep track of a growing list of requirements from these laws. These include many we have written about in the past, including notice, vendor contract provisions, and offering consumers rights and choices. The laws also impose certain record keeping requirements, which we discuss here.

Continue Reading The Comprehensive Privacy Law Deluge: Record-Keeping and Related Requirements

Texas has joined Arkansas and Utah as the third state to impose requirements on social media accounts for those under 18. Namely, with the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act (“SCOPE Act”), Texas will place requirements on “digital service providers.” The law goes into effect September 1, 2024. It does not provide for a private right of action. Instead, enforcement will be by the Texas attorney general.

Continue Reading Texas’ SCOPE Act Puts Focus on Social Media and Minors

As many who are keeping track of generative AI developments are aware, the FTC recently announced that it is investigating OpenAI’s ChatGPT product. For the privacy practitioner this investigation is important given that among other things, the agency wants to understand better how OpenAI is using personal information, and if its privacy representations are sufficient.

Continue Reading OpenAI – FTC OpensAnInvestigation

Oregon recently joined Vermont and California as the third state requiring data broker registration before collecting, selling, or licensing “brokered personal data.” Several types of entities are exempt from the law. These include those collecting information from their customers, subscribers or users or those in a “similar” relationship or an entity acting as those companies’ agents. Also exempt are consumer reporting agencies, financial institutions, and affiliates or nonaffiliated third parties of financial institutions subject to GLBA. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2024.

Continue Reading In 2024 Oregon Will Join Short List of States Requiring Data Broker Registration

Iowa recently became the fifth state to offer businesses a safe harbor if they have a written cybersecurity program. Others are Connecticut (October 1, 2021), Ohio (effective November 2, 2018), Oregon (effective January 1, 2020), and Utah (effective March 5, 2021). Like these, as of July 1, 2023, businesses that have a written cybersecurity program and suffer a breach may have an affirmative defense in Iowa against tort claims for inadequate security measures.

Continue Reading Iowa Joins Growing List to Offer Potential Safe Harbor for Companies With Security Programs

Oregon’s governor has now signed into law the state’s comprehensive privacy law. Meaning, there are now 12 states with these laws, six of which were passed just this year (others passed in 2023 were Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Montana, and Florida). Oregon’s law will go into effect on July 1, 2024, with limited parts not effective until January 1, 2026.

Continue Reading State Comprehensive Privacy Laws – Beaver State Makes a Dozen

When thinking about privacy notice obligations, companies often -incorrectly- leap to the wording in their privacy policies. The new comprehensive state privacy laws are a reminder that notice obligations are a bit broader than mere privacy policies. To the extent that these laws apply to your organization (see our prior applicability post) there are some notice-related obligations to keep in mind.

Continue Reading The Comprehensive Privacy Law Deluge: Approaching Notice Obligations

Of the many worries on privacy compliance teams’ lists as we face the onslaught of state “general” privacy laws are the impacts they have on vendor contracts. Fortunately for those who have already had to deal with contracts with vendors (service providers, processors) in California or EU’s GDPR, the impact should be fairly minimal.

Continue Reading The Comprehensive Privacy Law Deluge: Updating Vendor Contracts

With a little less than a week before the next US state “comprehensive” privacy laws (Colorado and Connecticut) go into effect, many are reviewing existing practices. One that keeps coming up is the concept of “profiling.” As a reminder, we now have 11 states with comprehensive privacy laws: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

Continue Reading The Comprehensive Privacy Law Deluge: What to Do About “Profiling”