Virginia State Capitol. Photo by Conor Lobb, VCU Capital News Service
Virginia is set to become the second state in the nation to enact a consumer data protection law, after Gov. Ralph Northam signs Virginia’s newly passed Consumer Data Protection Act. California was the first state to enforce data protection.
The act, which was passed by the General Assembly last month, would let consumers receive copies of their online data, amend or delete that data, and opt out of allowing big businesses to use the data for marketing or other purposes. It would take effect on Jan. 1, 2023. It affects only corporations that have personal data for at least 100,000 consumers in Virginia, or that make more than 50% of their income from the sale of personal data of at least 25,000 consumers in Virginia. If the bill is approved by the governor, the state’s Joint Commission on Technology and Science also will establish a work group to assess the bill’s implementation and release a study on its findings by this November.
Any fines collected from companies would go toward a “consumer privacy fund” in the state treasury, according to the bill.
