Jordan Francis

Yes. Not actually necessary for the job, but in most interviews I was told that they would only hire someone who could also do patent prosecution.

This is my experience. During law school I wanted to be a patent lawyer and being patent bar ineligible was disqualifying for most jobs (even litigation).

Key Dates for State Privacy Laws – Future of Privacy Forum A significant new chapter for data privacy protections in the United States has commenced as more than twenty recently enacted significant state privacy laws have taken effect by July 1, 2025. To assi...

It's an important day in state privacy law as both the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act and youth privacy amendments to the Colorado Privacy Act go into effect.

⏩ Looking to stay on top of all these state laws? See FPF's effective dates chart at fpf.org/statelaws.

Excited to share that I have been promoted to Senior Policy Counsel! Much like the state privacy law landscape, I've grown and evolved during my two years at FPF, and I'm excited to take on new responsibilities. As always, I'm grateful to my colleagues for their support and confidence in me.

The Massachusetts Data Privacy Act (S.2608) passed the Senate 40-0 today, with several adopted amendments.

Poetic considering how all of this started. The escalator giveth, the escalator taketh away.

This is one bill worth keeping an eye on as we close out the year!

• This bill would ban the sale of sensitive data (“sensitive data” is defined broadly and includes some uncommon categories such as government-issued identifiers and neural data); and
• The Attorney General would have rulemaking authority.

• This bill would require affirmative consent to "transfer" a consumer's sensitive data to a third party, in addition to a MODPA-style restriction on transferring sensitive data unless doing so is "strictly necessary" to provide a requested product or service;

• This bill includes a broad definition of "decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning the consumer," including decisions that result in "access to" the listed goods and services, not just the provision or denial of them;

3. Some outlier provisions: This bill includes a few provisions that would either be novel or are found in only a minority of existing state comprehensive privacy laws. To name a few—

2. Narrowed focus: This new bill is slimmed down and now only includes comprehensive consumer privacy legislation. The prior draft, in contrast, included sections concerning data broker registration, an accessible deletion mechanism for data brokers, and the Location Shield Act.

For example, the substantive data minimization requirements are changed but still tie to what's necessary to provide a requested product or service. For background on Maryland-style substantive data minimization, see my report from earlier this year: fpf.org/wp-content/u...

1. New model: The prior draft was modeled on the American Data Privacy & Protection Act (ADPPA), a 2022 federal bill. This new draft is based on the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (MODPA). MODPA was heavily inspired by ADPPA, so many of the key aspects of the bill remain similar to before.

The 2025 state legislative session is winding down but not over yet. Last week the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Ways & Means favorably reported a new comprehensive privacy bill, S.2608, as a substitute for S.2516. Read it here: malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2...
What changed between drafts?

Some personal news: I wanted to share that I recently relocated from Washington, DC back to Madison, WI, a city near-and-dear to my heart. I am extremely grateful to be continuing my role with FPF remotely, and I look forward to connecting with privacy and tech policy folks in Wisconsin!

I couldn't remember if they had amended it to remove "browser engines" yet 😅

leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTe...

Yes, I believe it has been amended to address concerns about the technology's suitability to mobile

One of many important privacy bills to follow in California this week as they approach the end of the legislative session:

Pleased to see my 2024 report on the state comprehensive privacy laws cited in this recent working paper by the U.N.'s International Labour Organization: www.ilo.org/sites/defaul...

Terrific comic today! It really captures all of my concerns about MODPA in two sentences

We are days away from the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act going into effect! Curious how this law fits into the broader state comprehensive privacy law landscape? Check out my blog post from when this law was signed last year: fpf.org/blog/the-nor...

Connecticut also added neural data as a category of sensitive data this year in SB 1295

Meeting Materials July 24, 2025 - California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA)

Materials are published the the CPPA's July 24 board meeting: cppa.ca.gov/meetings/mat...

We are hiring a Privacy Counsel for TikTok's Americas Public Policy team! This is a great opportunity to work on a unique set of privacy issues at a pivotal moment for TikTok.

lnkd.in/eYQgKxzb

Federal Data Consolidation: Protecting Civil Liberties in the Digital Age Date: Wednesday, July 16, 2025 Time: 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET The American Enterprise Institute and the Center for Democracy & Technology are pleased to invite you to join an upcoming event examining t...

Happening today: AEI and CDT are hosting a panel on "Federal Data Consolidation: Protecting Civil Liberties in the Digital Age"

Livestream available here: cdt.org/event/federa...

Excerpt of agenda from the California Privacy Protection Agency's July 2025 board meeting

The next CPPA board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 24.

⏩ The agenda includes discussion of and possible action on important ongoing rulemaking initiatives, including ADMT, risk assessments, cybersecurity audits, and the DROP requirements.

⏩ Agenda here: cppa.ca.gov/meetings/age...

H/t @keirlamont.bsky.social @baileysanchez.bsky.social

Looking to get up to speed on the existing state comprehensive consumer privacy laws? Check out my 2024 report, Anatomy of State Comprehensive Privacy Law: Surveying the State Privacy Law Landscape and Recent Legislative Trends.

⏩ Find it here: papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=...