California residents may soon be able to click “backspace” on data brokers doing business in the state. On October 10, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 362, colloquially known as the Delete Act, into law. The statute amends the state’s existing data broker registration law and builds on the state’s primary privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), by adding to residents’ ability to exercise their personal information deletion rights. Most notably, the law establishes a one-stop mechanism where state residents will be able to request—in one verifiable request—that all data brokers delete their personal information.Continue Reading California Enacts One-Stop Mechanism for Data Broker Deletion Requests

Recently, Vermont became the first state to enact legislation that regulates data brokers who buy and sell personal information. Under the new law, data brokers in Vermont will now have to register with the state, adopt standard security measures, and provide information to the state regarding their data collection practices. The law was passed in response to reported risks associated with the widespread aggregation and sale of data about consumers, and is intended to provide consumers with more information about data brokers and their data collection practices.
Continue Reading Vermont Enacts Groundbreaking Data Broker Regulation

In recent years, data-driven marketing has spread across numerous sectors of the economy. While the industry provides many benefits and conveniences for consumers by lowering the cost of products and services and helping businesses better capture customer preferences, privacy advocates and legislators are pushing for increased government regulation over companies known broadly as “data brokers.”
Continue Reading GAO and Senate Commerce Committee Release Studies Calling for Increased Oversight and Regulation of “Data Broker” Industry