Nebraska Introduces First-of-its-Kind Privacy Bill Aimed at Protecting Agricultural Data
On January 22, Nebraska state Senator Mike Jacobson (R), at the request of Governor Jim Pillen (R), introduced the Agriculture Data Privacy Act ( LB525 ). This is a first-of-its kind privacy bill that would specifically regulate agricultural-sector data. The bill is in stark contrast to all other privacy legislation introduced and enacted in the United States, in that i t does not protect information related to a natural person. Instead, it protects a wide variety of agricultural industry information, including cultivation, GPS, irrigation, and historical yield data, all of which is increasingly valuable to farmers and ranchers. A state legislative committee held a hearing on the bill earlier this month, at which some legislators raised concerns about the privacy and security of agricultural data under existing Nebraska law. As the bill proceeds, industry groups may express their views as well. What Does the Bill Say and What Would It Do? The Agricultural Data Privacy...