New Mexico legislators floated a comprehensive privacy bill that deviates from the model in nearly 20 other states, including how it would be enforced. Three Democrats -- Sens. Angel Carley and Leo Jaramillo, with Rep. Marianna Anaya -- introduced the proposed Community and Health Information Safety and Privacy Act (Chispa) on Wednesday.
Neural data laws and mental privacy had a moment last year, reflecting the fact that “2025 was a really big moment for neurotechnology” in general, said Nita Farahany, Duke Law professor. She spoke about privacy of the mind with Daniel Solove, George Washington University Law School professor, during a webinar Wednesday.
HIPAA isn’t enough to protect the privacy of consumer health information in the digital age, the Electronic Privacy Information Center said in a report released Wednesday. Requiring a strong data minimization standard may be the best solution, EPIC said. “We face a health data privacy crisis caused by unregulated digital technologies, weak privacy laws and the criminalization of many forms of health care,” Sara Geoghegan, EPIC senior counsel, said during a Wednesday webinar about the report.
The “expectations of the reasonable consumer” may guide how the Maryland attorney general interprets the data minimization standard in the state’s comprehensive privacy law, according to a FAQ for businesses from the AG office. While questions about how the AG would interpret that section of the law have continued, a Maryland AG spokesperson said Wednesday that the office posted the FAQ on Nov. 20 last year.
Wisconsin Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (R) hopes to get his comprehensive privacy bill “through the finish line during this session,” he said in written testimony for a Wednesday hearing. The House State Affairs Committee received testimony on Zimmerman’s AB-172, a 2025 bill that was was expected to return in 2026 (see 2512190059).
National industry groups pushed back against data broker registration bills in two states at legislative hearings this week. The opposition appeared to be successful in New Hampshire, where the House Judiciary Committee voted 15-0 Wednesday on a motion to deem HB-1694 “inexpedient to legislate.” A day earlier, TechNet and other business groups raised concerns about Washington state’s similar HB-2483 at a House Consumer Protection Committee hearing, but that panel didn’t vote.
A New Hampshire House committee lamented that the prime sponsor couldn't attend a Tuesday hearing on her bill that updates the state’s comprehensive privacy law by adding protections for kids’ location data. “I’m very uncomfortable ... [approving] legislation without even understanding where it came from,” said Rep. Alicia Gregg (D).
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed an amendment to the state’s comprehensive privacy law (A-5017), while killing an immigration privacy bill (A-6309), before leaving the governor’s mansion, the governor’s office said Tuesday.
Vermont would follow California in requiring browsers to include an option for activating global opt-out preference signals under a bill (H-706) introduced this week by Rep. Monique Priestley (D).
New York lawmakers will continue pushing for AI regulation, state legislators stressed at a Senate Internet and Technology Committee hearing livestreamed Thursday. That’s even after New York last year enacted a broad AI measure called the Responsible AI Safety and Education (Raise) Act (see 2512220061) and despite President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to stop states from regulating AI (see 2601130058).