For years, privacy, consumer rights, racial justice, and civil rights advocates have called for meaningful privacy regulations that empower people to live their lives free from intrusive corporate surveillance and discrimination powered by technology.
This bill does not meet bare minimum standards to protect people's privacy and would legitimize a status quo that protects the big tech companies’ profits, and not people.
AB-172/SB-166 is very similar, but not identical to the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), which received a failing grade for protecting consumers’ data, according to a report from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and U.S. PIRG Education Fund.
Many state bills have been heavily influenced by tech companies, leading to significantly weakened consumer protections across the country. Wisconsin’s bill follows Virginia’s privacy law that was heavily shaped by Amazon and other industry giants.
