In today’s interconnected world, personal information has never been more broadly collected and analyzed by governments and corporations alike, making it imperative that we understand, enforce and update privacy laws in order to safeguard individual privacy. In this episode, WilmerHale podcast co-host and Partner John Walsh welcomes two national leaders in privacy law of all kinds: Partner Kirk Nahra and guest Stacey Gray.

Nahra is the co-chair of WilmerHale’s Big Data and Cybersecurity and Privacy Practices. Among his other accolades, he is the winner of the 2021 Vanguard Award from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)—one of the most prestigious in the privacy field—which recognizes one IAPP member each year who demonstrates exceptional leadership, knowledge and creativity in privacy and data protection. Gray is a Senior Counsel at the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and leads FPF’s engagement on federal and state privacy legislation. Prior to leading FPF’s legislative engagement, she spent several years focusing on the privacy implication of data collection in online and mobile advertising, platform regulation, cross-device tracking, Smart Homes, and the Internet of Things.

Nahra and Gray talk with Walsh about the challenges of having states with different privacy laws and why that may ultimately drive a single national law. They also dive into consumer consent and the complexities of regulating the collection and sharing of personal data. The episode wraps up with tips for individuals and companies to keep in mind when considering privacy and personal data.

Links:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
• Future of Privacy Forum
• Stacey Gray's bio
• WilmerHale's Privacy and Cybersecurity Law blog
• Kirk Nahra's bio