Think the FTC Is the De Facto U.S. Data Protection Authority? State AGs May Have Something To Say

By Divonne Smoyer and Aaron Lancaster write:

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has understandably been the focus of much attention in the data privacy world. The FTC is considered by many to be the primary U.S. data privacy regulator, and this blog has gone so far as calling the FTC the U.S.’s de facto data protection authority (DPA). We respectfully disagree. The FTC is facing unprecedented challenges, while state attorneys general (AGs), who have similar—and in some instances greater—authority, are taking more and more steps to protect the privacy of their citizens.