February 15, 2019
A new bill, titled the “Washington Privacy Act” (“WPA”), was introduced in the Washington State Senate on January 18, 2019. If enacted, Washington would follow California, which passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) on June 28, 2018, as the second state to adopt a comprehensive privacy law.
Several key provisions of the WPA track the requirements set forth in the CCPA, but while the CCPA is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2020, the WPA is still being debated in the legislature and has not been signed into law. Nevertheless, businesses currently working toward compliance with the CCPA should be cognizant of the WPA as well, due to the fact that, if passed, the WPA will apply to most businesses that collect consumer data from Washington State residents. In particular, the WPA applies to businesses that: (1) control or process data of 100,000 or more Washington State consumers; or (2) derive fifty percent (50%) or more in gross revenue from the sale of personal information of residents of any state, and process or control personal information of 25,000 or more Washington State consumers.
What Steps Should I Take to Comply with the Washington Privacy Act (WPA)? [Read More]