US lawmakers propose temporary COVID-19 privacy law

Libbie Canter is quoted in Global Data Review regarding a bill that would regulate contact-tracing apps and similar projects geared towards tracking the spread of COVID-19. Ms. Canter says the bill is narrow in scope, but where it does apply, the protections are stronger than those offered by state laws like the CCPA.

She raises questions about how the bill would apply to public-private partnerships, which are common when it comes to contact-tracing tech. She adds, “The law probably isn’t as clear as it could be about the distinction between data controllers and data processors. If a private company is building an app on behalf of a public entity, the public entity isn’t subject to the law, but there are questions about the tech company acting as a data processor – not making decisions about how the data is used.”