WASHINGTON, D.C.—FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a new initiative to strengthen and formalize the cooperation between the Commission and state Attorneys General on privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity enforcement matters.
As part of the work of the FCC’s Privacy and Data Protection Task Force, the agency’s Enforcement Bureau has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the Attorneys General of Connecticut, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania to share expertise, resources, and coordinated efforts in conducting privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity-related investigations to protect consumers.
The FCC is also encouraging other states to join the effort.
“Defending consumer privacy is an all-of-government responsibility and a shared challenge,” Rosenworcel said. “Today we take on evolving consumer threats with new formal partnerships with state law enforcement leaders, which have already been successful in obtaining record-breaking results in combatting illegal robocalls. I am thankful to these four partners for prioritizing interagency cooperation, and we welcome other state leaders to join us in this effort to ensure we work together to protect consumers and their data.”
The FCC said that the new Memoranda of Understanding affirm that the FCC and State Attorneys General “share close and common legal interests in working cooperatively to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute or otherwise take enforcement action in relation to privacy, data protection, or cybersecurity issues” under sections 201 and 222 of the Communications Act.
Coordinated action and information sharing will take place under all applicable Federal and State laws and privacy protections, the agencies said.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General’s (NAAG) Internet Safety/Cyber Privacy and Security Committee, said: “The Connecticut Office of the Attorney General was the first nationwide to form a dedicated privacy department in 2015. This work, in coordination with state attorneys general nationwide, has remained a core priority of our office since then. Consumers have a right to know and control how their personal information is used, stored, and protected, and companies who violate that trust must be held accountable. This powerful new partnership between our states and the Federal Communication Commission is a recognition of the growing importance of this critical work.”
“I am proud to work with the FCC to safeguard the private information of Illinoisans,” added Illinois Attorney General and co-chair of the NAAG’s Consumer Protection Committee. “Similar state and federal partnerships have allowed us to successfully target perpetrators of illegal robocalls. This initiative gives Illinois access to more resources for investigating and holding accountable bad actors who fail to protect or misuse personal information.”
