Skip to main content
Menu Icon
Close

InfoBytes Blog

Financial Services Law Insights and Observations

Filter

Subscribe to our InfoBytes Blog weekly newsletter and other publications for news affecting the financial services industry.

  • Pelosi cites preemption concerns in federal privacy bill

    Federal Issues

    On September 1, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released a statement commending the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s work on advancing the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) to the House floor (covered by InfoBytes here). However, Pelosi also recognized preemption concerns raised by the California governor, the California Privacy Protection Agency, and other top state leaders. “With so much innovation happening in our state, it is imperative that California continues offering and enforcing the nation’s strongest privacy rights,” Pelosi said. “California’s landmark privacy laws and the new kids age-appropriate design bill, both of which received unanimous and bipartisan support in both chambers, must continue to protect Californians—and states must be allowed to address rapid changes in technology.” Praising measures in the ADPPA that would give consumers the right, for the first time, to seek damages in court for violations of their privacy rights, Pelosi said the House “will continue to work with Chairman Pallone to address California’s concerns.” As previously covered by InfoBytes, the ADPPA also received criticism from several state attorneys general who argued, among other things, that “Congress should adopt a federal baseline, and continue to allow states to make decisions about additional protections for consumers residing in their jurisdictions,” instead of preempting areas of state privacy regulation.

    Federal Issues Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security Federal Legislation U.S. House American Data Privacy and Protection Act State Issues California Consumer Protection

  • California Privacy Protection Agency opposes federal privacy bill

    Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security

    On August 15, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) opposing H.R.8152, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA). The CPPA expressed concerns that the proposed legislation “could nearly eliminate” the agency’s ability to fulfill its responsibility to protect Californians’ privacy rights and claimed that the bill’s provisions are “substantively weaker” than the California Privacy Rights Act. “ADPPA represents a false choice, that the strong rights of Californians and others must be taken away to provide privacy rights federally,” the CPPA stressed in its letter. “Americans deserve, and the Agency could support, a framework that offers both: a floor of federal protections that preserves the ability of the states to continue to improve protections in response to future threats to consumer privacy.”

    Last month the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted 53-2 to send the ADPPA to the House floor with amendments that would enable the California agency to enforce the federal law (covered by InfoBytes here). However, the CPPA noted that “the language in the bill still raises significant uncertainties for the Agency were it to seek to enforce the federal measure.” Additionally, the bill, which has been revised from its initial draft (covered by a Buckley Special Alert), would preempt the current patchwork of five state privacy laws—which “would be an anomaly,” the CPPA said, given that current federal privacy laws such as the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, the Gramm Leach Bliley Act, and the FCRA all contain language allowing states to adopt stronger protections. Pointing out that the bill’s “preemption language is especially concerning given the rate at which technology continues to advance and evolve,” the CPPA stressed the importance of states being able to build on their existing laws and allowing voters to seek out additional protections.

    Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security State Issues Federal Issues Federal Legislation Consumer Protection CPPA California American Data Privacy and Protection Act

  • House committee advances comprehensive consumer privacy bill

    Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security

    On July 20, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted 53-2 to send H.R. 8152, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, to the House floor. As previously covered by a Buckley Special Alert, a draft of the bill was released in June, which would, among other things, require companies to collect the least amount of data possible to provide services, implement special protections for minors, and allocate enforcement responsibilities to the FTC. The bill has been revised from its initial draft to allow consumers to bring lawsuits after notifying certain state and federal regulators beginning two years after the law takes effect, which is different from the four-year wait period proposed in the draft. Additionally, the current patchwork of five state privacy laws would be preempted, although under the revised bill California's new privacy agency would be allowed to enforce the federal law. The revised bill also includes a provision that narrows the scope of algorithmic impact assessments required of large data holders to focus on algorithms that pose a “consequential risk of harm.” Additionally, the revised bill includes a more expansive definition of “sensitive data” to include browsing history, race, ethnicity, religion and union membership. It also sets a tiered system of responsibility depending on the size of companies for data related to people under 17.

    Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security U.S. House Data Data Collection / Aggregation American Data Privacy and Protection Act Federal Legislation

  • Coalition of state AGs release comment letter in opposition of federal privacy bills

    Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security

    On July 19, a coalition of state attorneys general, led by the California AG, released a comment letter in opposition to the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), H.R. 8152 and the Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act (COPRA), S. 3195. In the letter, the state AGs argued that, “Congress should adopt a federal baseline, and continue to allow states to make decisions about additional protections for consumers residing in their jurisdictions,” instead of preempting areas of state privacy regulation. The AGs expressed concern that the bills, as drafted, “appear to substantially preempt many states’ ability to investigate” federal privacy law violations. Specifically, the AGs argued that while the bills purport to preserve “state consumer laws and causes of action, they also provide that “a violation of this Act shall not be pleaded as an element of any such cause of action.’ The state AGs noted that usually, “a violation of a federal law or standard could also be a violation of state consumer protection law. But [the bills] would act as a bar to investigate violations of the federal law, because it prohibits them from forming the basis for state consumer protection claims.” The state AGs consider this language to "unnecessarily interfere with robust enforcement capabilities.”

    Privacy, Cyber Risk & Data Security State Attorney General State Issues American Data Privacy and Protection Act Federal Legislation

  • Special Alert: Congress releases draft privacy bill

    Federal Issues

    A comprehensive federal privacy law drew one step closer to reality earlier this month when a bipartisan group of representatives and senators released a draft of the proposed American Data Privacy and Protection Act.

    Passage of the ADPPA, which combines elements of prior proposals in an effort to reach a legislative compromise, is still far from assured. But it represents a meaningful starting point for further discussions, and is already shaping the long-running debate on national privacy standards. This alert looks closely at the proposed statutory text that seeks to define the breadth and scope of a federal privacy regime that policymakers have contemplated for years.

    Greater clarity about bill text and its overall prospects for passage are likely to emerge at the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s hearing scheduled for tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. ET.

    Federal Issues Federal Legislation Privacy/Cyber Risk & Data Security Special Alerts House Energy and Commerce Committee FTC Consumer Protection American Data Privacy and Protection Act

Upcoming Events