Prioritizing Privacy Protection

If you’re not thinking about privacy laws, this is the year to start thinking about them. Currently, the European Union (EU) as well as California have privacy regulations in place, but as of 2023 more states are adding regulations as protecting private information trends upward.  

A recent MeetingsNet article addresses this topic, adding that there were “new state regulations effective as of January 1 in Virginia; July 1 in Colorado, Connecticut, and California (expanded from 2018); and December 1 in Utah.” It’s likely that more states will follow the path laid by the EU five years ago with their General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR laws. 

Jill Blood, vice president, deputy general counsel at Maritz Global Events, addressed the topic during a December 14 meeting trends webinar: “2018 was when the privacy concept really hit the U.S.,” Blood said. “California is obviously a huge state with a lot of people. So, for companies that somehow escaped GDPR, that meant they really needed to focus on privacy. I don't think anybody thought that was the end of it, and now here we are with five new states coming online with privacy laws. It's really spreading.” 

You can read the full article at MeetingsNet to learn more about the discussion fostered by the webinar. 

Other resources: 

The Meeting Professional’s Guide to GDPR

Data protection and privacy: A guide for event organisers in 2023

Understanding Data Compliance in the Events Industry

Check out the article "Privacy, Please: How Digital Trends Will Shape Marketing in 2023" in the 2022 Winter Issue of Special Events