Frustrated with a lack of action by Congress on federal privacy legislation and hearing from constituents worried about the security of their personal information online, lawmakers in more than two dozen states set out this year to pass privacy bills. 

The efforts aimed to follow the lead set by California, which last year adopted sweeping privacy legislation. The California Consumer Privacy Act vastly expands consumers’ rights over how information about them is collected and used, and also gives them the ability to opt out of having their data sold. Yet more than a year after California lawmakers voted unanimously to approve the bill, no other state has adopted its own comprehensive measure.