AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a data privacy and security initiative, establishing a team focused on enforcement of Texas privacy laws.
The initiative, housed within the Consumer Protection Division of the OAG, will ensure companies respect Texans’ privacy rights and safeguard their personal data.
According to a press release, the team is poised to become among the largest in the country focused on enforcing privacy laws.
“Any entity abusing or exploiting Texans’ sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law. Companies that collect and sell data in an unauthorized manner, harm consumers financially, or use artificial intelligence irresponsibly present risks to our citizens that we take very seriously,” Paxton said. “As many companies seek more and more ways to exploit data they collect about consumers, I am doubling down to protect privacy rights.
“With companies able to collect, aggregate, and use sensitive data on an unprecedented scale, we are strengthening our enforcement of privacy laws to protect our citizens.”
The data privacy team will focus on the enforcement of Texas’s privacy protection laws including the Data Privacy and Security Act, the Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act, the Data Broker Law, the Biometric Identifier Act, the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and federal laws including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).