With Europe passing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — a significant piece of data protection legislation with global implications — and now California implementing a new privacy law, coupled with several high-profile incidents involving companies exposing consumer data, there is a growing push for federal data privacy legislation in the United States. In an explainer for RealClearPolicy, Alan McQuinn defines data privacy, explains the U.S. approach to data privacy in the private sector, and outlines policy goals Congress should consider.
