DeSantis Signs Fla. Privacy Bill

Florida became the 10th state to sign a consumer privacy bill Tuesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed SB-262, which passed the legislature with wide bipartisan support last month (see 2305050048). “If a multibillion-dollar company is conspiring to take your data and sell it or use it against you, it is your right to be able to protect that data,” said DeSantis. Several red states passed privacy bills this year. Montana’s Greg Gianforte (R) became the ninth governor to sign a privacy bill on May 19. The Texas legislature passed a comprehensive privacy bill last week (see 2305300057). Consumer Reports urged the Florida legislature to amend the privacy law next year. The bill covers only companies with at least $1 billion annual revenue, noted CR policy analyst Matt Schwartz. "While we recognize that big tech companies are usually some of the worst privacy offenders, they are far from the only privacy offenders," he said. "This law should apply to any entity that collects significant amounts of consumer data." Also, lawmakers should allow users to opt out through a global mechanism, said Schwartz.