WMC and a coalition of businesses sent a memo to the Wisconsin Legislature urging them to oppose Assembly Bill 957 and Senate Bill 957. While it’s well-intentioned legislation, the resulting cost of compliance, patchwork of regulations across the country, and ensuing confusion for consumers and businesses alike warrant further consideration and a national approach, not-state-by-state action.
The memo highlighted the two primary concerns from the business community.
- This legislation would create staggering compliance costs that will negatively impact businesses small and large. A recent report from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) estimated that state privacy laws could costs businesses billions of dollars a year in annual compliance costs.
- This legislation contributes to a state-by-state patchwork of privacy laws that not only don’t align, but are unworkable and confusing for consumers and businesses. A federal framework for an inherently interstate issue must be the solution if workable, comprehensive data privacy protections are to be enacted. Not to mention that most companies and consumer-interfaces already require privacy policies.
