Possible Increase In Federal And State Data Privacy Enforcement Actions In 2021

So far, 2021 is shaping up to be an important year for data privacy legislation. In March, Virginia enacted the Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA) — the nation's second comprehensive data privacy law. Dozens of state legislatures are actively considering data privacy bills, with California continuing to ramp up enforcement of the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). Meanwhile, with Democrats in control of both the White House and Congress, the prospects of a comprehensive federal data privacy law have increased, and the first data privacy bill introduced in this Congress holds promise as a possible law that could garner bipartisan support. ¹

With the increased focus on data privacy and proposed legislation, there is also reason to expect a significant increase in enforcement actions and resource allocation for protecting consumer data over the next few years.