Hello, privacy pros!
It was another week in the calendar year, which means tons of privacy news developed since our last issue of the U.S. Privacy Digest. Last week, IAPP Staff Writer Joe Duball shared some of his reporting on the sausage making of Connecticut's privacy law. At the time, the bill had made it through the state legislature and awaited Gov. Ned Lamont's signature.
Well, we didn't have to wait long. On Monday, Lamont put ink to paper, making his state the fifth in the country to enact a comprehensive privacy law. No doubt, many privacy advocates and academics are not impressed with the slate of state laws to date. In response to one of my tweets announcing the news, law professor Neil Richards joked, "I think we should opt out of these terrible opt out laws that effectively opt out of actually protecting consumer and citizen privacy."
Others, however, applauded Connecticut for going further than some of the other state laws, such as Utah. Consumer Report's Justin Brookman, a longtime advocate for privacy in our space, welcomed Connecticut's law, saying, "Connecticut is helping to lead the way on privacy rights in the United States. This year we saw giant tech companies push weak bills at the state level, so we are especially pleased to see Connecticut sign a strong law that will extend real privacy protections to its citizens.”
For more details on what's in Connecticut's new law, be sure to check our IAPP Westin Fellow T.K. Lively's hinted at by Commissioner Christine Wilson in her congratulatory tweet to Bedoya. IAPP Staff Writer Alex LaCasse's announcement of its tentative agenda for the May 19 open meeting. What's on top of the agenda? You guessed it: children's privacy. The FTC says it will vote on a policy statement announcing its prioritization of the enforcement of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act as it applies to education technology.
Finally, it's worth mentioning that the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board plans to hold a public forum May 26. It is seeking public comments on the privacy and civil liberties issues "concerning the government's efforts to counter domestic terrorism." Among the issues is implications for First Amendment-protected activities and for privacy and Fourth Amendment rights, as well as the use of technology in mitigating domestic terrorism. For those interested in providing the PCLOB with comments, the docket will be open until June 30.
Enjoy the weekend!