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Nearly half of states that passed consumer privacy laws get a failing grade for protecting consumers’ data, according to “The State of Privacy,” an updated scorecard released today from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and U.S. PIRG Education Fund. Of the 19 states with laws, eight received Fs, and none received an A. Since 2018, 44 states have considered consumer privacy bills that allegedly aim to protect consumers’ privacy and security. Many of these bills, however, have been heavily influenced or bought and controlled by companies such as Amazon, leading to significantly weakened consumer protections across the country. The U.S. currently has no comprehensive federal privacy law.*
The more data companies collect about us, the more our data is at risk. When companies hold your data, the greater the odds it will be exposed in a breach or a hack and end up in the hands of identity thieves, scammers, or shadowy companies known as data brokers that buy and sell a huge amount of data about Americans “Many of these ‘privacy laws’ protect privacy in name only,” said Caitriona Fitzgerald, deputy director of EPIC. “In effect, they allow companies to continue hoarding our personal data and using it for whatever purposes they want. Big Tech should not be allowed to write the rules.”
The unregulated online advertising and data broker market can result in turbocharged scams, discrimination, and invasive targeted ads. Despite the increasing visibility of unchecked data collection and its attendant harms, and data collection and sales being a multi-billion-dollar industry propagated by some of the most powerful companies in the world, Congress has failed to pass a comprehensive federal privacy law. To fill this void, an increasing number of states have passed laws that aim to protect people’s privacy and security. However, these laws largely fail to adequately protect consumers.
“The best way to keep data secure is to not collect it in the first place,” said R.J. Cross, U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Don’t Sell My Data campaign director. “A law that really protects consumers would minimize the amount of information companies are allowed to collect upfront. Most of the laws on the books don’t do this. Too many of them are a bad deal for consumers.”
However, some states are making significant progress. Last year, Maryland passed the second-strongest privacy law nationwide. It limits what data companies can collect about consumers, bans the sale of sensitive data, and prohibits targeted advertising to minors. Other states, including Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine are considering similarly strong comprehensive consumer privacy legislation this session.
“Grading these laws really makes it clear that they’re almost all copy-and-paste versions of a bill industry originally wrote,” said Kara Williams, Law Fellow at EPIC and report co-author. “It’s encouraging to see states starting to take a different approach, and EPIC hopes to see more states passing stronger privacy laws this year.” Click here for The State of Privacy.
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State Privacy Laws Failing to Protect Your Data
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Nearly half of states that passed consumer privacy laws get a failing grade for protecting consumers’ data, according to “The State of Privacy,” an updated scorecard released today from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and U.S. PIRG Education Fund. Of the 19 states with laws, eight received Fs, and none received an A. Since 2018, 44 states have considered consumer privacy bills that allegedly aim to protect consumers’ privacy and security. Many of these bills, however, have been heavily influenced or bought and controlled by companies such as Amazon, leading to significantly weakened consumer protections across the country. The U.S. currently has no comprehensive federal privacy law.*
The more data companies collect about us, the more our data is at risk. When companies hold your data, the greater the odds it will be exposed in a breach or a hack and end up in the hands of identity thieves, scammers, or shadowy companies known as data brokers that buy and sell a huge amount of data about Americans “Many of these ‘privacy laws’ protect privacy in name only,” said Caitriona Fitzgerald, deputy director of EPIC. “In effect, they allow companies to continue hoarding our personal data and using it for whatever purposes they want. Big Tech should not be allowed to write the rules.”
The unregulated online advertising and data broker market can result in turbocharged scams, discrimination, and invasive targeted ads. Despite the increasing visibility of unchecked data collection and its attendant harms, and data collection and sales being a multi-billion-dollar industry propagated by some of the most powerful companies in the world, Congress has failed to pass a comprehensive federal privacy law. To fill this void, an increasing number of states have passed laws that aim to protect people’s privacy and security. However, these laws largely fail to adequately protect consumers.
“The best way to keep data secure is to not collect it in the first place,” said R.J. Cross, U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Don’t Sell My Data campaign director. “A law that really protects consumers would minimize the amount of information companies are allowed to collect upfront. Most of the laws on the books don’t do this. Too many of them are a bad deal for consumers.”
However, some states are making significant progress. Last year, Maryland passed the second-strongest privacy law nationwide. It limits what data companies can collect about consumers, bans the sale of sensitive data, and prohibits targeted advertising to minors. Other states, including Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine are considering similarly strong comprehensive consumer privacy legislation this session.
“Grading these laws really makes it clear that they’re almost all copy-and-paste versions of a bill industry originally wrote,” said Kara Williams, Law Fellow at EPIC and report co-author. “It’s encouraging to see states starting to take a different approach, and EPIC hopes to see more states passing stronger privacy laws this year.” Click here for The State of Privacy.
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