Privacy Law Matters Blog

We are pleased to announce that Hintze Law has been recognized for excellence in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms®, in both the national and Seattle area rankings for the firm’s work in Information Technology Law, Technology Law, and Advertising Law. Earlier this year, eight of Hintze Law’s attorneys were recognized in The Best…

By Cameron Cantrell On Monday October 20, the Eastern District of Missouri dismissed a proposed class action based on the federal Video Privacy Protection Act (“VPPA”) against CoStar, the company behind Apartments.com. This decision further cements the Circuit courts’ split in determining which entities are subject to the VPPA, with the Eighth Circuit (where Missouri…

By Cameron CantrellOn October 11, 2025, California’s Governor Newsom signed AB 489, a law designed to address health advice from artificial intelligence (“AI”). It will take effect on January 1, 2026. California Currently Prohibits Misrepresentations of License to Practice Medicine and Regulates Generative AI in Health CareSeveral California laws prohibit a person from using specified…

By Leslie Veloz On October 13th, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 853, which amends the California Artificial Intelligence Transparency Act (AI Transparency Act (SB 942)), a law placing obligations on makers of generative AI systems aimed at increasing transparency to allow individuals to more easily assess whether digital content is generated or…

By Clara De Abreu E Souza On Oct. 13, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 243 – Companion Chatbots. SB 243, authored by Senator Steve Padilla, requires operators of companion chatbot platforms to notify users that the chatbot is AI, provide specific disclosures to minors, and restrict harmful content. The law…

By Hansenard Piou On October 13th, 2025, Governor Newsom signed the Digital Age Assurance Act (AB 1043) into law. Introduced by co-authors Assembly Member Buffy Wicks and Senator Tom Umberg, the law establishes age-assurance requirements for computer and mobile operating system providers and app stores as well as app developers with an aim to protect children’s…

By Clara De Abreu E SouzaOn October 8, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 656 — Account Cancellation. AB 656, authored by Assembly member Pilar Schiavo, focuses on social media platforms and requires them to provide users with a clear and accessible way to delete their accounts. This action must also…

By Cameron CantrellOn October 8, 2025, California’s Governor Newsom signed AB 566—the California Opt Me Out Act—into law. The California Opt Me Out Act, using the same definitions as the CCPA, requires any business that develops or maintains an internet browser to build in an opt-out preference signal (“OOPS”) functionality. The law takes effect on…

By Hansenard PiouOn October 8, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 361 into law. Introduced by Senator Josh Becker, the bill amends California’s Data Broker Registration Law (and amendments to the law under the Delete Act) with additional disclosure requirements for data brokers. Becker’s press release states that SB 361 addresses concerns about “mass surveillance…

By Emily LitkaThis is the second in a series of blog posts about the DOJ Rule regarding Access To U.S. Sensitive Personal Data and Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern or Covered Persons (the “DOJ Rule”). It provides an overview of one of the categories of data that is in scope under the DOJ Rule: bulk…