Will the California Consumer Privacy Act serve as a blueprint for a federal privacy law or for a patchwork quilt of state privacy laws?

As states have been commencing legislative proceedings and as proposals for a federal privacy law are being formulated, the following seem to be principles that most agree should be included in a privacy law in the U.S.:

  • Banning some practices, including using data to discriminate against users.
  • Giving people the right to sue over misuse.
  • Giving people ownership rights in their data including the right to delete it, change it or take it back.
  • Requiring companies to be more transparent about how they use data and collect consumers’ consent, with some exceptions.

A point of contention is whether or not a federal U.S. privacy law should completely preempt (invalidate) state privacy laws (or whether they should continue to be binding if stricter than the federal law).

Details from the San Francisco Chronicle.