The state of Texas forecasted “aggressive enforcement” of its upcoming data privacy law with the announcement of a dedicated team to oversee its implementation.
The team “is poised to become among the largest in the country focused on enforcing privacy laws,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a press release Tuesday. It will be housed within the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General.
The announcement comes less than a month ahead of the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act taking effect—the state’s version of comprehensive privacy protections for consumers in the absence of a federal law. The act was signed into law in July 2023 and offers consumers the rights to access, correct, delete, and opt out regarding the processing of their personal data.
Like most other states, the law is enforced by the attorney general, though Texas’s team supporting enforcement is noteworthy. Only California has a dedicated agency enforcing its privacy law: the California Privacy Protection Agency.
“Any entity abusing or exploiting Texans’ sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law,” said Paxton in the release. “… As many companies seek more and more ways to exploit data they collect about consumers, I am doubling down to protect privacy rights.”
The team will also support state enforcement of the Data Broker Law, Biometric Identifier Act, Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and federal laws including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
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