The European Unit recently launched a widespread General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to protect all citizens from data breaches. While the United States has opted to not address this epidemic from a federal level, there are some states that are taking proactive steps to protect residents. Here’s a look at 4 states that are on the cutting edge of data privacy laws.
Nevada
Without a lot of national coverage, Nevada launched an online privacy law on October 1, 2019. A multitude of web-based businesses sell customer information to other companies to increase revenue, often without you (the customer) even knowing it’s being done. Nevada’s law is primarily focused on allowing customers to opt-out of having their private information sold to other companies.
Washington
While Washington’s law does restrict online data, lawmakers did fail to pass the privacy portion of their bill. However, all hope is not lost. Washington’s online data regulations do allow consumers to know what type of data companies are gathering concerning them. While the privacy bill not passing does prevent civil suits concerning data, Washington did use the GDPR method of allowing consumers to request data deletion.
New York
The Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act (SHIELD) along with the Identity The Protection and Mitigation Services Act, both signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo provide more protection of data under the privacy laws of New York. The laws will also impose stricter regulations regarding data security. While they aren’t the strictest laws in the nation (we will get to those in a moment), New York is at the forefront of states seeking to protect residents from information breaches.
California
California has a long-standing reputation as a state that is dedicated to protecting citizens, and their data laws re-enforce that belief. The California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) took effect on January 1, 2020, and is a wide-scale attempt to thoroughly protect that data of California citizens. The most extreme of current state laws concerning data privacy, California even amended the state constitution to increase privacy.
It is widely believed that more states will begin to implement data privacy laws because your privacy matters!