US federal privacy bill unlikely in 2019

U.S. online privacy bill is not likely to come before Congress this year, as US lawmakers disagree over issues like whether the bill should preempt state rules, forcing companies to deal with much stricter legislation in California that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020, according to Reuters. The entry into force of the new Californian privacy law will force a significant number of companies, including tech giants and retailers, to adapt to this new framework for collecting consumer data. California’s data privacy law will affect any major company with an online presence and requires companies with data on more than 50,000 people to allow consumers to view the data they have collected on them. According to the Financial Times, the California attorney-general could seek as much as $7,500 per person for any general breach of the state’s privacy rules if it is intentional, and individual citizens could sue for as much as $750 each in the case of a hack.