Federal Privacy Framework Would Shift Power Back to Companies

Companies stand to save billions of dollars in compliance and legal costs under the Republican-led federal privacy bill unveiled this week.

The SECURE Data Act could free up companies that until now have been forced to adapt to a patchwork of privacy laws in nearly two dozen states and react to differing levels of regulation and enforcement. For some, that’s meant taking a “North Star” approach and just following the strictest state regulations, those in California, said Val Ilchenko, general counsel and chief privacy officer at TrustArc.

“It would go far by getting federal law caught up with the states, ...