Sep 17, 2019

Internet Association pushes Congress to pass national privacy law

Ina Fried

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

The web's trade organization, the Internet Association, became the latest industry group to urge Congress to pass a national privacy law.

Why it matters: Industry organizations, individual companies and consumer groups all say they want privacy legislation. They probably vary in what they would like to see in such legislation, but there could well be room for something that all could get behind.

What they're saying: "Passing comprehensive, federal privacy legislation in the 116th Congress is a top priority for the internet industry," said IA president & CEO Michael Beckerman. "Internet companies stand ready with the broader business community to support unified, national privacy legislation."

Between the lines: California's state privacy law goes into effect Jan. 1, and much of the industry hoped to see less strict national rules pre-empt the state's measure first.

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Scott Rosenberg

California initiative pushes an even stronger privacy law

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

With impeachment hogging Congress' agenda, no national privacy law is likely to pre-empt California's stringent rules from going into effect next year — and activists in the state are already gearing up to put an even tougher initiative on the state's 2020 ballot.

Why it matters: California's rules often become de facto national standards. Home to Google and Facebook, this is where the tech industry's user-tracking, ad-targeting economy was born, but now it's also where efforts to tame the industry keep sprouting.

Go deeperArrowSep 30, 2019
Jennifer A. Kingson, Kia Kokalitcheva

The future of privacy starts in California

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

A landmark privacy law in California, which kicks in Jan. 1, will give Golden State residents the right to find out what a company knows about them and get it deleted — and to stop the company from selling it.

Why it matters: It could effectively become a national privacy law, since companies that are racing to comply with it may give these privileges to non-Californians, too.

Go deeperArrowSep 30, 2019
Joe Uchill

Nevada privacy law takes effect

California's pending European-style digital privacy law will likely be the most impactful in the country, but it won't be the first. Nevada's law takes effect Tuesday.

Why it matters: With no superseding federal law, we're at the start of, potentially, 50 different privacy laws covering each of the 50 states — all interacting, potentially conflicting, and affecting business and consumer peace of mind for years to come.

Go deeperArrowOct 1, 2019