We share a lot of our private consumer data online. Because the United States does not currently have a federal data privacy law, states are free to enact their own data privacy protections. Georgia is one of the latest states to introduce a privacy protection law into the state legislature. Keeping up with changes to the law, both at the federal and state level, is often time-consuming and expensive. A Georgia privacy policy generator can cut down on the cost and effort it takes to stay on top of state and federal privacy laws.
SixFifty has created state-specific privacy tools to automatically generate privacy notices and policies. Read on to learn about Georgia’s proposed privacy rules, and how we make it simple and easy to stay in compliance, no matter how the law changes.
Who is affected by Georgia data privacy laws?
In January 2022, the Georgia General Assembly introduced the Georgia Computer Data Privacy Act (GCPDA). If the bill passes and is signed into law, it will affect any business collecting, storing, processing, or selling data from Georgia residents and consumers. This isn’t limited to companies doing business online, either: the way the law is written could affect brick-and-mortar businesses collecting consumer information to process credit card payments, for example.
What’s the difference between privacy policies and privacy notices?
Wondering why you need two different documents? A privacy notice and privacy policy serve different purposes. A privacy notice is a public document that you post for consumers to see. It outlines your personal information-gathering practices, and tells consumers what you do with their data. A privacy policy is an internal document that your employees follow. It tells them how they should handle consumers’ personal information.
Georgia privacy law
The GCDPA is an omnibus privacy statue modeled after the California Consumer Privacy Act. The proposed law is actually stricter than California’s privacy laws, which are currently the strictest in the nation.
The bill is stricter in several key areas:
- Consumer consent is needed to collect data: The law requires affirmative consent before collecting any consumer data, so businesses cannot simply provide an “opt out” option. Because websites and apps collect personal information as soon as someone visits a website, this could affect companies operating online in Georgia. Furthermore, they may need to collect consumer consent before processing credit card or similar transactions in person.
- Sales definition: “Sales” are defined as the disclosure of consumer data to a third party for any valuable consideration. Therefore, if a company needs to share data to receive or provide a service, it could be classified as a “sale.”
- Selling data: If passed, the GCDPA would ban companies from “selling” data (including the definition above) unless the consumer affirmatively opts in. This could affect digital marketing. Moreover, the “we sell data” notice requires more detail than California’s laws, including to whom the data might be sold and the pro rata value of that information.
- Right of deletion and right to be forgotten: Consumers would have the right to ask a company to delete their data—but in addition, if they’ve made the data public, they have to take “reasonable steps” to remove that data from public access.
- Corporate research and anonymized data: If a company uses personal consumer information, the data must be anonymized first. Furthermore, that anonymized data can’t be “reidentified” without the consumer’s consent or authorization.
- No exceptions for employee or B2B data: Companies would be subject to employee requests to provide, stop selling, or delete their consumer data.
- Enforcement and private right of action: Finally, the attorney general does not have exclusive right to enforcement—other agencies may be entitled to do the same. The GCDPA also allows consumers a private right of action against companies who violate the law, including class actions.
Is there a Georgia privacy policy template?
If the GCDPA is signed into law, it will significantly affect any company doing business in Georgia. While you might be tempted to try a one-size-fits-all Georgia privacy policy template, they may not cover every applicable scenario. It’s crucial you keep up with all the changes to privacy laws, at both the state and federal level.
SixFifty’s GA website privacy policy generator has been designed to specifically address these needs. Instead of asking your legal team to draft the documents and monitor changes to the law, or seek expensive outside counsel, you can generate a privacy policy that complies with Georgia law. We’ll also notify you anytime there are changes to the law: we update our tools on a monthly basis, so you’ll know when it’s time to regenerate your privacy documents.
Our software pairs technology with real legal expertise, to deliver custom, compliant Georgia privacy policies and notices in record time. Simply answer a series of questions, download the generated document, and have your lawyer review. It’s the easiest way to stay compliant and avoid incurring penalties—all while saving money.
Generate a privacy policy for Georgia with SixFifty
If your company does business in Georgia, you’ll need a tailored privacy policy if the new law goes into effect. Let SixFifty do the hard work for you with our Georgia privacy policy generator. Reach out today to schedule a demo, or learn more about our privacy tools!
