The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) took effect on January 1, 2023, making Virginia the second state, after California, to enact a comprehensive privacy law. California set the strongest standard, but many of the states that came after have followed Virginia's more limited model rather than California's. It lets Virginians access, correct, delete, and obtain a copy of their data and opt out of targeted advertising, data sales, and certain profiling.
In 2025, the Data Breach Chronology captured 8,019 data breach notification filings from state and federal agencies that publish breach reports. These represented 4,080 unique breach events impacting at least 375 million individuals. This report examines what those 4,080 breaches tell us about the state of data security, and where the gaps in breach reporting leave consumers in the dark.
This survey analyzes and compares data breach notification laws across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Using a standardized framework of 50 questions, we examined each jurisdiction's requirements for breach notification timing, covered data types, notification recipients, enforcement mechanisms, and consumer remedies.
The survey reflects statutes enacted as of January 1, 2026.
The survey reflects statutes enacted as of January 1, 2026.
Governor Newsom signs SB 361, AB 566, AB 656, and SB 446, advancing browser controls, data broker transparency, social media account deletion, and breach notification
Hundreds of data brokers have not registered with state consumer protection agencies. These findings come as more states are passing data broker transparency laws that require brokers to provide information about their business and, in some cases, give consumers an easy way to opt out.
We are joining 40+ consumer, civil rights, housing, and privacy organizations in urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to maintain and continue its Consumer Complaint Intake System in the face of pressures to eliminate this vital consumer protection tool.
Our May 2025 update—the fifth this year—brings our complete data through May along with this focused analysis of Q1 breach statistics. The first quarter saw 876 new breach notifications representing 658 distinct security incidents that impacted over 32 million people.
We're proud to stand with Consumer Reports in supporting Senator Becker's SB 361 to improve the registration and transparency requirements of the California Delete Act.