US Chamber Developing Response to GDPR, State Privacy Laws, It Says, Raising Concerns

In response to the EU's "burdensome" general data protection regulation and California's precedent-setting privacy law, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is developing federal legislation to avoid “a nightmare” patchwork of rules, wrote Chamber CEO Thomas Donohue Monday. “In today’s interconnected world, data know no boundaries and require a federal framework,” said Donohue. Federal policy should “encourage cross-border data flows over data localization, which does little to protect privacy while making data more vulnerable and discouraging foreign investment,” he argued. Policymakers also should favor “long-term growth over short-term gains that may be achieved by limiting data flows and other practices that undermine competition,” he said.