Data and Biometric Privacy Regulation Surging

New privacy laws are either in effect or in the works worldwide. Businesses ignore them at their peril. Biometric regulation at the state and local level is under wide consideration in the U.S., is already in effect in Illinois and New York City, and on the way to passage in New York State. These laws address collection and use of mainly fingerprints, retinal scan and, face scans, and require businesses to provide notice to individuals and obtain consent when they collect, use and share such information. Absent federal consumer privacy legislation, U.S. states are following the lead of California, Colorado and Virginia, and trying to advance their own consumer privacy laws.

The Uniform Law Commission is promoting the adoption by states of its Uniform Personal Data Protection Act in 2022. It has already motivated the District of Columbia to propose a bill. The Uniform Act broadly applies to any “person” that maintains personal data and conducts business or purposefully directs its services to residents in the particular state.