Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Signs Privacy Law

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Consumer Reports is celebrating Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's signing of the Consumer Data Protection Act.

“This is a historic moment for privacy rights,” said CR senior policy analyst Maureen Mahoney. “Virginia is now just the second state [after California] to pass a comprehensive privacy bill. While we're pleased that Virginians will have new privacy rights, legislators should continue working in the next session to strengthen it. This bill has some important privacy provisions, but consumers need more practical options for controlling their data.”

Also Read: Virginia Passes Consumer Privacy Bill

It establishes standards for data control and processing but does not apply to state or local governments and has exceptions for types of data and information governed by federal law. 

Consumers have the right to access, correct, or delete their personal information and obtain a copy of that information, as well as to opt out of the processing of personal data for targeted advertising. 

Also Read: Ad Group Proposes Privacy Bill

The bill does not go into effect until January 2023.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.