States Privacy Laws Leapfrog ‘High Watermark’ California Rules

California long served as the nation’s gold standard for data protection. Now, states such as Maryland and Connecticut have topped the Golden State’s privacy rights, reshuffling the state legislation landscape.

A move from some other Democratic-led states to pass stronger consumer protections has pushed stricter business requirements beyond those in California over the last two years.

Maryland, Connecticut, Virginia, and Oregon have banned sales of precise geolocation data, while Connecticut and Maryland also prohibited businesses’ use of consumers’ personal data to set personalized prices, with New York aiming to be next. And all eyes are now on a Massachusetts ...