Entities	Texas (8)
Topics and Issues	Privacy (42)

In January 2022, the Texas House Business and Industry Committee issued its interim report. The report, among other things, addresses its charge to “Evaluate the overall state of data privacy and online consumer protections in Texas and study the related laws and legislative efforts of other states. Make recommendations to ensure data protections and online privacy.” The discussion on privacy runs from pages 53 – 64, and appears in Appendix A (p. 65) and J (p. 77).

The report adds:

• “Texas should consider passing legislation that gives consumers more control over their data. Important provisions for a strong law would include consumers having the right to correct and delete their information. Attention should be paid to the definitions. While short, uncomplex definitions can seem ideal and easier to follow, lawmakers should be wary of definitions that leave out essential pieces of data. Care should also be taken to match other state legislation whenever possible to prevent compliance difficulties from a patchwork of state legislation.”
• “A data broker registry has the potential to be complementary legislation, but care should be taken to protect legitimate businesses from being prohibited from operating. It is also important to note that data broker registry legislation would not be sufficient without additional data privacy legislation, as the data broker definition leaves out many social media companies, who hold the most consumer data.”