Russell Anderson Quoted on New Data Privacy Laws in Connecticut

Pullman & Comley Attorney Russell F. Anderson was quoted in the Hartford Business Journal (HBJ) article “New Rules Expand Connecticut’s Data Privacy Law and Test Small-Business Readiness.” The article covers how Connecticut’s Data Privacy Act, first enacted in 2022, has entered a pivotal new phase as enforcement increases and significant amendments take effect in 2026. The law, considered one of the strongest consumer privacy statutes in the nation, grants residents expanded rights to access, correct, and delete their data while imposing stricter limits on how companies collect and use personal information. The upcoming changes will lower the compliance threshold from 100,000 to 35,000 consumer records and broaden the definition of “sensitive data,” particularly regarding minors and health-related information, creating new compliance challenges for businesses of all sizes.

In the article, Russ, a member of our Business team with a practice that includes assisting companies with emerging issues such as privacy and AI, discusses how these developments could impact Connecticut-based companies, many of which may soon find themselves subject to the law for the first time. "If you’re a business that has most of the population of your town in your database, all of a sudden you’re subject to all of the requirements of the law. And you would have no reason to realize that,” Russ said, citing examples such as grocery stores, restaurant chains, and car dealerships. He also noted that “a lot of businesses are going to get tripped up on the universal opt-out requirement,” a recently implemented provision that allows consumers to block the sale or use of their personal data for targeted advertising through a browser setting or privacy tool.

To read the full article, please visit the HBJ website.