The Consortium of Privacy Regulators has added a new member to its ranks. On Aug. 4, 2026, Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark announced that Vermont has joined the bipartisan coalition of state privacy regulators and attorneys general that works to coordinate the implementation and enforcement of state consumer privacy laws.
In a previous GT Alert, we covered the April 2025 launch of the Consortium. Vermont's addition marks its latest expansion and reflects the continued trend toward coordinated multistate privacy enforcement.
Vermont's New Privacy Law and Enforcement Focus
Vermont's participation in the Consortium follows the June 2026 enactment of the Vermont Data Privacy and Online Surveillance Act, the state's comprehensive consumer privacy law, which is scheduled to take effect in 2028.
"Vermonters should not have to give up their privacy to participate in modern life," Attorney General Clark said in a statement. "Whether we're shopping online, using social media, or simply carrying a smartphone, companies are collecting enormous amounts of our personal information. Vermont's new privacy law gives each of us greater control over corporate use of our data, and joining this Consortium will help my office work with other states to enforce those protections effectively and hold companies accountable when they violate the law."
The announcement also emphasized Vermont's prior success participating in multistate privacy and consumer protection matters, noting that collaborative efforts have secured more than $8 million in settlements for the state over the past five years while also producing improvements to companies' privacy and data security practices.
"We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the Green Mountain State as jurisdictions nationwide continue working together," Michael Macko, head of enforcement at the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy), said in a statement. "These partnerships benefit consumers and promote a predictable, rights-oriented enforcement landscape for businesses."
"Big businesses are harnessing more and more data about us," said Tom Kemp, CalPrivacy's executive director. "Collaboration across states empowers consumers and leads to better privacy protections for everyone."
An Expanding Enforcement Coalition
Consortium members now include CalPrivacy and state attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Vermont.
The Consortium's continued expansion may suggest that regulators view coordinated enforcement as an increasingly important mechanism for addressing data practices and privacy violations, which often cross state lines.
While the Consortium itself does not publicly announce joint investigations as a matter of course, participating regulators have increasingly coordinated privacy enforcement efforts. One such example of coordinated enforcement by state attorneys general includes:
- Global Privacy Control (GPC) Investigative Sweep (Sept. 9, 2025). A joint effort by CalPrivacy and the attorneys general for California, Colorado, and Connecticut, the sweep investigated businesses that allegedly failed to recognize or honor GPC opt-out signals and related consumer opt-out rights.
Takeaways for Businesses
Vermont's decision to join the Consortium of Privacy Regulators underscores the continued growth of coordinated state privacy enforcement. What began in 2025 as a coalition of eight privacy regulators has evolved into a broader network of states with comprehensive privacy laws and active enforcement programs.
As privacy enforcement becomes increasingly collaborative, businesses may see regulators continue to share expertise and coordinate enforcement priorities, particularly where data practices affect consumers across multiple jurisdictions. Consequently, privacy compliance gaps identified in one jurisdiction may draw attention from regulators in other states. Companies should consider evaluating their privacy compliance programs, consumer rights request processes, privacy notices, and data governance practices with a multistate enforcement environment in mind.
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