"Tech companies are rushing to get a seat at the table for a federal data privacy framework that could have major implications for their businesses. The push for regulation is a reversal from tech companies’ longtime approach to resist regulation, and is an effort to preempt the strict California Consumer Privacy Act, said Omer Tene, the vice president and chief knowledge officer of the nonpartisan International Association of Privacy Professionals.
“Standing alone, California is the fifth biggest economy in the world, and there are probably very few businesses in the U.S. that don’t have California customers,” Tene said. “Effectively, a California law becomes a national standard, and in that case, if it is a strict standard, it is evident why companies want Washington to preempt that with something more lenient.”"