Comparing The Six Comprehensive State Privacy Laws

Recently, Iowa became the sixth state to enact a comprehensive privacy law to protect personal data, joining California, Virginia, Colorado, Utah and Connecticut. Although privacy laws have existed in the U.S. for decades, until recently they were limited to certain industries, jurisdictions or data types. The Iowa law continues the growing movement worldwide to protect an individual's general right to privacy.

While the patchwork of privacy laws in the U.S. may seem overwhelming, clear patterns have emerged regarding how companies can comply. State lawmakers and attorneys general communicate with each other on how to implement and enforce privacy laws, as well as with their European counterparts under the General Data Protection Regulation. For example, Colorado revised the final regulations implementing its privacy law to bring them in line with California's privacy regulations, in response to public comments that an earlier version would prove