Honda agreed to pay $632,500 and change various privacy practices as part of a settlement with the California Privacy Protection Agency announced Wednesday. The CPPA board decided Friday to approve a settlement resolving the privacy agency's claims that the car manufacturer’s North American subsidiary violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The significant order shows the agency ramping up enforcement of the CPPA, said privacy attorneys.
Texas privacy enforcement is heating up this year, said Morrison Foerster lawyers in a blog post Tuesday. AG Ken Paxton (R) “is intensifying efforts to enforce state privacy laws, indicating increased scrutiny for companies,” they said.
Privacy attorneys at Parker Poe predicted more state privacy rulemakings this year in a blog post Monday. “In 2025 we will likely see a higher volume of state regulators initiating rulemakings as a federal privacy law remains evasive and federal agency activity remains unclear.”
Vermont lawmakers weighed the need for a bill protecting the sensitive information of certain public servants at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday. Some questioned if the bill (H-342) is necessary, while others asked whether it would lead to excessive lawsuits.
Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark (D) pressed her case for including a private right of action (PRA) in a proposed comprehensive state privacy law (S-71) at a Senate Institutions Committee hearing livestreamed Tuesday. However, a Republican committee member and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce pushed back against allowing individuals to sue. The Chamber witnesses urged lawmakers to instead pass a rival bill (S-93) to more closely align Vermont with privacy laws in other New England states.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) on Friday opposed TikTok's motion to dismiss a case alleging violation of consumer protection and product-liability laws, claiming its dismissal motion "rests on a mischaracterization of the allegations in the Complaint."
Two law firms alerted clients to increased data broker oversight by California in blog posts last week.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) on Monday announced a lawsuit against Allstate and its subsidiary National General for not protecting personal information from cyberattacks, and violating the state’s breach notification law. While James noted that the insurance companies' internal cyber defenses were inadequate, she said the broader cause was their choice of prioritizing profit over safety.
Kids and their guardians on Wednesday urged the U.S. District Court for Central California to continue pursuing a class-action complaint against TikTok alleging the social media platform invaded the privacy of users younger than 13, a violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and other laws. TikTok filed a motion to dismiss on Jan. 29 on the basis that the plaintiffs never identified what personal information was collected from them, or how that caused them harm.
Recent court rulings in California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) cases may signal that judges are more skeptical about what counts as an actual injury under violations of the statute, said privacy lawyers: That could lead to more decisions in favor of businesses over plaintiffs. However, the lawyers said there's a long way to go before a definitive ruling is made.