Utah Next In Line, Enacts Comprehensive Privacy Law

On March 24, 2022, Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (“UCPA”), which previously flew through the Utah House of Representatives and Senate, unanimously passing in both chambers. In enacting the UCPA, Utah joins Colorado, Virginia, and California on the list of states to have enacted comprehensive privacy laws. The UCPA will take effect on December 31, 2023, rounding out a notable year in privacy, with the Colorado Privacy Act (“ColoPA”) taking effect on July 1, 2023 and both the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VA CDPA”) and the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) taking effect on January 1, 2023. The UCPA is substantially similar to these laws, as well as to existing comprehensive privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). Below is a summary of the key provisions of the UCPA.