Privacy Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week, in case you missed them. All articles can be found by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Almost all comprehensive state privacy laws include enforcement language against AI-related discrimination, so additional efforts to regulate automated decisions could be redundant, Minnesota Rep. Steve Elkins (D) told Privacy Daily in a recent interview.
The FTC trumpeted two big enforcement actions as part of a flurry of announcements in the days before Monday's inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The FTC on Thursday proposed a nonmonetary settlement with GM and OnStar over allegations the companies collected and sold consumers’ location data without proper consent. The commission on Friday announced a settlement of $20 million with the maker of the videogame Genshin Impact over allegations of violating a child privacy law. The FTC also revealed a long-awaited update to children’s online privacy rules Thursday (see 2501160068).
State privacy enforcers will “take up the baton for any lag in federal action” this year, Smith Anderson lawyers blogged this week. “Businesses, even in states without comprehensive privacy laws, face increased compliance risks.”
Massachusetts state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D) filed a comprehensive privacy bill based on a model bill (see 2501070081) by Consumer Reports and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said CR on Thursday.
States should include a private right of action in their comprehensive privacy laws, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Tuesday.
New Jersey’s privacy law took effect Wednesday. It’s the 14th of 20 states with enforceable privacy laws and the fifth comprehensive state law to take effect this month, increasing companies’ risk (see 2501060066).
Colorado will step in if the federal government pulls back on privacy enforcement under the second Trump administration, the state’s AG Phil Weiser (D) told Privacy Daily. In an interview, he said privacy will continue to be a priority for the state in 2025, with Weiser hoping to raise awareness with businesses and consumers about their duties and rights under the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA).
Allstate defended the practices of subsidiary data analytics company Arity after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) sued the insurer for the alleged unlawful collection, use and sale of location data from Texans’ cellphones.
New-for-2025 comprehensive privacy bills appeared in Illinois and Oklahoma this week. In Illinois, state Sen. Sue Rezin's (R) proposed measure seems based on California’s law. The Oklahoma proposal, from Sen. Brent Howard (R), takes a Virginia-style approach. Privacy Daily is tracking comprehensive bills in at least five states.