Soapbox: Complex state privacy laws hurt all of us

To date, U.S. data privacy regulation has been bogged down with party politics. That’s because the debate has been about individual rights to privacy, versus data used for business gain. This political divide has stopped any federal regulation from being passed. Instead, states have stepped in, and Nevada, Vermont and California are among the many that have bills already passed or soon to pass.

The problem is that these state laws are not all the same. What started as an attempt to protect someone’s privacy is now becoming a big burden for the sites and companies that need to comply, and that’s an issue both sides of the debate should recognize.

A survey of small businesses from the Connected Commerce Council shows that 72% support better privacy regulations, but that 56% are concerned that they will negatively impact their business, and they’re right. The IAB promotes the use of a privacy compliance platform, but that new technology comes with costs in tech, time and labor and only succeeds if adoption of the platform is broad.

It’s time that our industry starts voicing the real problems that come with so many overlapping state privacy laws. Privacy for America is a good place to start. This non-profit is working to push a federal privacy agenda in Washington, and business can help increase the impact by supporting their approach. Individuals deserve good privacy regulation, but it should be created in a way that’s sustainable for business, too.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Angela Sultana

As SVP and Company Data Policy Officer for ADARA, Angela leads strategy for global data privacy and policy compliance. Prior to her current role, Angela held executive positions at ADARA in customer success and business development and previous roles in loyalty marketing strategy for United Airlines and Sears.