On March 2, 2021, Virginia enacted a sweeping consumer data privacy law called the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2023. The new law provides residents of the commonwealth with personal data management rights that include viewing collected data, correcting inaccuracies, deleting data, and stopping the sale of their personal information. Virginia joins California as the only two states in the nation that have currently passed comprehensive consumer privacy laws. The VCDPA represents a growing wave of U.S. states considering privacy laws that are shaping how businesses collect and share consumer personal information and data.
Currently, 17 states are considering data privacy bills. As the patchwork of state laws continues to evolve, enterprises will need to make data privacy compliance a fundamental aspect of their operations. This includes assessing and bolstering the data privacy and security of mobile messaging and collaboration platforms.
Data privacy laws like VCDPA, the California Consumer Privacy Act, California Privacy Rights Act and the General Data Protection Regulation are all designed to protect the security of personal data and give consumers more control over their data. Ultimately, consumers should have the right to be aware of who uses their information, how it’s being used, when it’s being used, and what context the information is being used in.
The majority of consumers favor regulations like these that protect their personal information. A recent Pew Research survey asked survey respondents how much government regulation there should be around what companies can do with their customers’ personal information. The survey found that 75% of adults say there should be more regulation than there is now.
As an increasing number of states step up their efforts to protect the privacy of personal information, there is a growing mandate for enterprises to implement administrative, technical and physical data security practices that protect consumer data privacy.
Consumer-grade messaging apps like WhatsApp and collaboration tools such as Slack and Microsoft Teams lack these security practices and all collect consumer data, putting compliance with data privacy regulations at risk.
Organizations can improve their security posture and minimize the risks of noncompliance and data leakage by ensuring they have the proper mobile messaging security infrastructure in place to comply with regulatory requirements.
That’s where NetSfere can help. NetSfere is a secure, agile enterprise messaging platform that enables organizations to effortlessly comply with the administrative, physical and technical safeguards of data privacy regulations.
NetSfere’s strict no-data collection approach earned the platform the distinction of being highlighted in a recent 451 Research Report (WhatsApp privacy backlash is a wake-up call for secure enterprise messaging and collaboration) as the leading Secure Enterprise Messaging and Collaboration platform.
NetSfere’s cloud-based platform includes end-to-end encryption designed to meet security and compliance requirements of the mosaic of consumer privacy laws as well as requirements in a wide range of sectors including regulated verticals such as healthcare, law and finance.
While Virginia is the latest state to pass consumer privacy legislation, it won’t be the last state to do so. This growing regulatory trend elevates NetSfere’s secure, compliant collaboration platform with enterprise-level administrative controls to a business necessity.