WASHINGTON – February 19, 2021 – BSA | The Software Alliance welcomes today’s passage of Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act. The legislation includes robust protections for consumers’ data and places clear obligations on businesses to handle that data in trusted and responsible ways.

"BSA applauds today’s passage of the Consumer Data Protection Act, which provides Virginians with strong privacy protections,” said Tom Foulkes, Senior Director, State Advocacy at BSA | The Software Alliance. “While the bill is not perfect, it is the result of several years of important work and compromise across a number of states to create this valuable new model for privacy legislation. We are particularly glad to see it recognizes the different roles that different types of companies play in handling consumers’ personal data – and its creation of obligations that fit those different roles, including those of data controllers and data processors. It’s a different approach than California and it gives policymakers a new way to think about privacy laws. We look forward to continuing to work with states as they consider these important issues, and hope that action by the states will ultimately lead to a national standard that creates comprehensive data privacy protections for consumers.”