It wasn't the most headline-grabbing testimony before the U.S. Congress this week, but it is one that every company needs to watch closely.
Should the U.S. pass a national privacy policy similar to Europe's GDPR or should state's be allowed to create their own requirements?
We've already reported on the fact that tech giants are fighting California's new privacy law.
And earlier this month, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce testified about "acceptable" privacy regulation.
Now leaders from companies like AT&T, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple testified on this topic.
CNN reported the highlights:
AT&T's Len Cali, the senior vice president of global public policy, cited a "host of burdens" associated with the GDPR during his testimony Wednesday.
"Perhaps if it existed when the companies at this table started, we wouldn't be here, none of them would be here," he said.
Other executives argued along similar lines, adding that whatever law is passed should not be so cumbersome as to hurt innovation, especially at small and medium-sized companies. Many also wanted a law that pre-empts state statutes, like the one California just passed."
That California law is certainly a hot topic among cybersecurity leaders. We know because SecureWorld Advisory Council members have pushed the topic onto the InfoSec conference Agendas.
And there's also a little talked about Colorado privacy law that just went into effect.
We'll have to wait and see if Congress supersedes these laws with a national privacy policy.