The state of Washington legislature has re-introduced a privacy bill that is being labeled as the “most comprehensive” state privacy legislation in the country, even more so than the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Along with many of the protection and provisions of the CCPA, the WPA would enumerate certain rights that individuals have with respect to the information and data stored about them by companies.
The bill was introduced yesterday — the first day of the legislative session in Washington — by state Sen. Reuven Carlyle.
“Our individual consumer data is central to who we are as individuals,” said Sen. Carlyle, a Democrat. The WPA “is a bold step forward in bringing the best protections to Washington state and the country.”
The bill does not create a private right of action for individuals to sue if there is an alleged violation, but does empower the state attorney general to investigate and seek injunctive relief, to the tune of $7,500 per violation.
Among the provisions of the bill are:
- Right of access. Consumers would have the right to confirm whether or not a controller is processing personal data concerning them and access such personal data.
- Right to correction. Consumers would have the right to correct inaccurate personal data concerning them.
- Right to deletion. Consumers would have the right to delete their personal data.
- Right to data portability. When exercising the right to access personal data, consumers would have the right to obtain personal data concerning them in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, readily usable format.
- Right to opt out. Consumers would have the right to opt out of the processing of personal data for purposes of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal effects concerning a consumer or similarly significant effects concerning a consumer.
A consumer privacy group offered the following comment on how the WPA goes further than what other states have enacted.
“The Washington Privacy Act is the most comprehensive state privacy legislation proposed to date,” said Future of Privacy Forum CEO Jules Polonetsky. “The bill addresses concerns raised last year and proposes strong consumer protections that go beyond the California Consumer Privacy Act. It includes provisions on data minimization, purpose limitations, privacy risk assessments, anti-discrimination requirements, and limits on automated profiling that other state laws do not.”
If enacted, the bill would go into effect in July 2021.
