The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) publication The Privacy Advisor recently featured an interview with Partner Kirk Nahra as part of its Volunteer Spotlight series. Nahra has been involved with the IAPP since the organization's early days and has served on the organization's board of directors.
Excerpt: The Privacy Advisor: How surprised are you that so many state Legislatures are not only tackling privacy legislation, but also giving more consideration than ever before? What do you think has really forced their hand?
Nahra: The state role has been a bit odd for several years. States have been passing all kinds of laws, covering a wide variety of data, in areas such as biometrics, facial recognition, genetic data, health data and the like. The California Consumer Privacy Act generated a new kind of discussion — a general, overall privacy law at the state level. It's proven to be much harder to pass a similar law than many thought. The CCPA process was unique and won't be replicated in other states, and the substance is really hard. So states have been interested but haven’t had the right vehicle yet — and then COVID-19 shut everything down.