Lobbyists scramble as 27-page amendment to tech privacy bill surfaces

A Republican bill aiming to protect users’ privacy online strikes all the right chords with people tired of having their personal information harvested and sold to third party vendors. But the devil, as always, is in the details.

We’re working to protect your privacy and personal information from being collected online and ending up in the hands of data collection services or third-party vendors through the Tennessee Information Protection Act. Thanks to @JohnnyGarrett4 and @SenMikeBell for their work! pic.twitter.com/upsRXRfSe1

— Speaker Cameron Sexton (@CSexton25) March 18, 2021

A bill sponsored by Rep. Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville) and Sen. Mike Bell (R-Riceville) originally dealt with with campaign finance disclosures for corporations. But it opened 14 titles of the Tennessee Code — a classic caption bill that the serve as a vehicle for a wide variety of initiatives.

The amendment now circulating would set privacy requirements that could have far-reaching effects on a variety of businesses. There’s already talk of the measure becoming this year’s Lobbyist Full Employment Act.