Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed the Consumer Data Protection Act on Tuesday, making Virginia the second US state to pass a comprehensive data privacy law.
The invoice will give consumers the right to choose not to have their personal data processed for targeted advertising and the right to confirm that their data is being processed.
State Sen. David Marsden (D), who introduced the bill, applauded Northam’s signature.
“This is a big step forward. In creating this general bill, we took the lead in data privacy in the United States. This general bill is clear, concise and holds companies accountable for protecting consumer data, providing protection to consumers, ”said Marsden in a statement.
A Northam spokesman did not immediately respond for comment.
The law will take effect in 2023 and applies to all companies that control or process the proposal data of at least 100,000 consumers, obtain more than 50 percent of the gross revenue from the sale of personal data or process the personal data of at least 25,000 consumers.
The Virginia bill follows in the footsteps of a privacy bill passed by California in 2018. California expanded its law in November through a vote.
Unlike the California bill, however, the Virginia bill lacks a private right of action, which means that individuals are limited in their ability to prosecute and enforcement is the responsibility of the state attorney general.
Other states are also considering data privacy proposals.
In Washington, lawmakers restarted the debate over a privacy bill similar to that in Virginia. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo
Andrew CuomoNY House Democrat asks Cuomo to step down after the last charge Third woman accuses Cuomo of unwanted sexual advances The Cuomo administration hires a defense lawyer to investigate a nursing home MORE (D) also supported similar legislation, and Oklahoma and Utah are also evaluating their own legislation.