Justin A. Shiroff

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Recently, legislators in Texas introduced two bills relating to consumer privacy and data protection: H.B. No. 4518, the Texas Consumer Privacy Act (“Texas CPA”) and H.B. No. 4390, the Texas Privacy Protection Act (“TPPA”). These bills bear a strong resemblance to the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “California CPA”), and would lay the groundwork for extensive administrative schemes protecting consumers’ rights to their personal information.

Texas CPA

The Texas CPA bears strong similarity to California CPA. The Texas CPA, which, if adopted, would take effect September 1, 2020, applies to companies that do business and collect consumer data and:

  • Derive at least 50% of their annual revenue selling consumers’ personal information; or
  • Exceed $25 million in gross annual revenue (with that amount subject to adjustment by the Texas Attorney General every two years); or
  • Buy, sell, or receive the personal information of at least 50,000 consumers, households, or devices for commercial purposes
  • The Texas CPA would also apply to entities owned by companies that would be subject to the law. Similar to the California CPA, the Texas CPA contains express provisions governing rulemaking, implementation, and enforcement of the law. Notably, the legislation highlights various consumer rights, including (but not limited to):
  • A consumer’s right to disclosure, from the business, of the personal information the business collected.
  • A consumer’s right to deletion of the personal information that the business collected (with some limited, specific exceptions).
  • A consumer’s right to opt out of the sale of his or her personal information.

Continue Reading  Texas Legislature Weighing Proposed New Privacy Laws

One challenging aspect of privacy and data security law is that technology is constantly evolving. The near and long term future of privacy and data security will be driven by emerging technologies that developers, legislators, businesses, and lawyers may not fully understand for years to come. Last year saw a surge in technologies enabling companies to collect and analyze increasing amounts of consumer data as well as the development of technologies enabling consumers to better protect their privacy. Just as the development of new technologies is inevitable, so too is the rise of potential ways in which those technologies can be misused, which in turn provokes a legislative and regulatory response. The cycle never ends.

To help privacy and data security professionals keep pace with these changes, we will be providing regular updates throughout the course of the year on the development of emerging technologies, as well as legislation and regulation regarding privacy and data security. We begin with a review of recent developments in the Internet of Things and biometric technologies, and offer some predictions on legal and business changes to look for in 2018.

INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT)

Continue Reading  Privacy and Data Security and Emerging Technologies – Spotlight on the Internet of Things and Biometrics