A summary.

https://pogowasright.org/cipl-publishes-discussion-paper-comparing-u-s-state-privacy-law-definitions-of-personal-data-and-sensitive-data/

CIPL Publishes Discussion Paper Comparing U.S. State Privacy Law Definitions of Personal Data and Sensitive Data

Hunton Andrews Kurth writes:

On November 12, 2025, the Centre for Information Policy Leadership (“CIPL”) at Hunton published a discussion paper titled “Comparing U.S. State Privacy Laws: Covered and Sensitive Data” (“Discussion Paper”), the latest in its discussion paper series comparing key elements of U.S. state privacy laws.

The concepts of personal data – and the types of personal data categorized as “sensitive” – are foundational elements of U.S. state privacy laws and regulations. However, the criteria for what qualifies as “sensitive” – and the legal consequences that follow – are not always aligned across U.S. state privacy laws. As a result, organizations are tasked with operationalizing varying definitions across a fragmented and inconsistent legal landscape.

The Discussion Paper analyzes the scope, applicability, exemptions and key definitions of “personal data” and “sensitive” data under comprehensive U.S. state privacy laws. It examines the most common approaches, as well as outliers, with a focus on three topics:

1. The concept of personal data (or “personal information”) (including an analysis of exclusions such as “deidentified” and “publicly available” data)

2. The definition of “sensitive data” (or “sensitive personal information”)

3. Relevant exemptions

Read more at Privacy & Information Security Law Blog.

Direct link to their Discussion Paper.

The politics of AI law?

https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/824608/trump-executive-order-ai-state-laws

Here’s the Trump executive order that would ban state AI laws

President Donald Trump is considering signing an executive order as soon as Friday that would give the federal government unilateral power over regulating artificial intelligence, including the creation of an “AI Litigation Task Force” overseen by the attorney general, “whose sole responsibility shall be to challenge State AI laws.”

According to a draft of the order obtained by The Verge, the Task Force would be able to sue states whose laws are deemed to obstruct the growth of the AI industry, citing California’s recent laws on AI safety and “catastrophic risk” and a Colorado law that prevents “algorithmic discrimination.” The task force will occasionally consult with a group of White House special advisers, including David Sacks, billionaire venture capitalist and the special adviser for AI and crypto.

Integrating the tools of war.

https://thehackernews.com/2025/11/iran-linked-hackers-mapped-ship-ais.html

Iran-Linked Hackers Mapped Ship AIS Data Days Before Real-World Missile Strike Attempt

Threat actors with ties to Iran engaged in cyber warfare as part of efforts to facilitate and enhance physical, real-world attacks, a trend that Amazon has called cyber-enabled kinetic targeting.

The development is a sign that the lines between state-sponsored cyber attacks and kinetic warfare are increasingly blurring, necessitating the need for a new category of warfare, the tech giant's threat intelligence team said in a report shared with The Hacker News.

… As an example, Amazon said it observed Imperial Kitten (aka Tortoiseshell), a hacking group assessed to be affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), conducting digital reconnaissance between December 2021 and January 2024, targeting a ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS) platform with the goal of gaining access to critical shipping infrastructure.

Subsequently, the threat actor was identified as attacking additional maritime vessel platforms, in one case even gaining access to CCTV cameras fitted on a maritime vessel that provided real-time visual intelligence.

The attack progressed to a targeted intelligence gathering phase on January 27, 2024, when Imperial Kitten carried out targeted searches for AIS location data for a specific shipping vessel. Merely days later, that same vessel was targeted by an unsuccessful missile strike carried out by Iranian-backed Houthi militants.