In a keynote speech before the European Parliament in Brussels on 24 October 2018, Tim Cook CEO of Apple called for the implementation of a Federal privacy law, praising the Parliament for its implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”):

“We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive Federal privacy law in the United States. There, and everywhere, it should be rooted in four essential rights: First, the right to have personal data minimized… Second, the right to knowledge… Third, the right to access… and fourth the right to security.”

Data-driven companies are painfully aware that they need to be seen to take consumer privacy seriously or risk alienating customers. However, they are also aware of the regulatory burden new laws would place on their operations. The result is a covert attempt to undermine state legislative efforts by pushing for superseding Federal privacy laws.

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