AG Tong issues report outlining efforts to enforce CT’s new data privacy law

Hartford Business Journal – Thursday, April 17, 2025
By Andrew Larson

The state Office of the Attorney General announced Thursday that it has taken numerous steps to enforce compliance with the Connecticut Data Privacy Act.

The act, which took effect in July 2023, gives data rights to Connecticut residents and solidifies obligations for businesses.

“Connecticut remains at the forefront of consumer data privacy,” Attorney General William Tong stated.

Tong’s office issues the report each year.

In 2024, his office opened investigations and inquiries into multiple companies, including a grocery store that used facial recognition technology to deter shoplifting.

Under the data privacy act, businesses are required to provide consumers with “a reasonably accessible, clear and meaningful notice about the use of facial recognition technology.”

Tong’s office has determined that businesses that deploy facial recognition technology cannot opt-out from compliance.

Among other things, the act requires businesses to obtain consumers’ freely given consent before processing their sensitive data.

By the end of 2024, Tong’s office had issued dozens of notices of violation, according to the report.

The office also has expanded efforts to curb “problematic opt-out practices and dark patterns that trick consumers.”

The report also makes several recommendations, including that the state legislature scale back exemptions to the act.

It also urges the legislature to enact “a one-stop-shop deletion mechanism” that allows residents to delete their personal information held by data brokers.

Click here to read the full report.

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