Data Privacy, Privacy

Is Your Business Ready for the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA)?

June 18, 2025

A National Privacy Law Is (Finally) Within Reach

For years, businesses have had to navigate a confusing, ever-expanding patchwork of U.S. state privacy laws—with no unified national standard. But that could soon change.

In 2024, Congress introduced the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA)—a bipartisan bill that, if passed, will transform data privacy in the United States. While it hasn’t been signed into law yet, it’s already shaping how companies prepare their compliance strategies in 2025.

If you’re a small or mid-sized business that handles personal data, now is the time to act—not after the law is passed.

What Is the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA)?

The American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) is a proposed federal privacy law introduced by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) in April 2024.

The bill aims to:

Establish nationwide data privacy standards
Grant consumers consistent rights over their personal data
Preempt most state privacy laws
Create strong enforcement mechanisms

Source:
📄 Full Bill Text – S.1356 on Congress.gov
📄The American Privacy Rights Act of 2024

Key Provisions Businesses Must Prepare For

Whether you’re B2C or B2B, the APRA could reshape how you collect, process, and store customer data. Here’s what’s in the bill:

1. Preemption of State Laws

APRA would override most state privacy laws (like the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA)), creating one unified federal standard—but with exceptions for certain state-specific consumer protection and data breach laws.

What this means: Businesses can no longer rely solely on California compliance as a gold standard.

2. Strong Consumer Data Rights

APRA grants individuals:

Right to Access their personal data
Right to Delete data collected or shared
Right to Correct inaccurate information
Right to Portability of their data
Right to Opt Out of targeted advertising and sale of their data

Businesses must make these rights easily accessible, likely through updated privacy notices and automated request systems.

3. Data Minimization & Purpose Limitation

Businesses will only be allowed to collect and use personal data if it’s:

Strictly necessary
For a clearly disclosed purpose
Not retained longer than needed

📌 This will require major updates to your data lifecycle, consent flows, and vendor management practices.

4. Applicability to SMBs

Unlike earlier drafts of federal privacy laws that excluded small businesses, APRA applies to any business that handles large volumes of personal data or engages in:

Targeted advertising
Selling personal information
Processing sensitive data (health, biometrics, geolocation)

📌 Even small e-commerce shops, SaaS providers, and service companies will likely fall under this law’s scope.

5. Enforcement & Penalties

APRA includes dual enforcement mechanisms:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) oversight
State Attorneys General enforcement
Private right of action: Individuals can sue businesses for certain violations (e.g., unauthorized sale of data)

Fines could reach thousands of dollars per violation, plus damages in civil litigation.

What Businesses Should Do Now

Even though the APRA hasn’t passed, regulators and privacy advocates are pushing hard for its adoption. Preparing early gives you:

A competitive edge
Stronger customer trust
Fewer rushed compliance projects later

Here’s what you should start doing today:

Audit your data practices (collection, sharing, retention)
Update your privacy policy to match the rights outlined in APRA
Prepare opt-out mechanisms for targeted ads and data sales
Review contracts with third-party processors
Map your data flow to see where sensitive data lives and moves

How Curated Privacy LLC Can Help Your Business Prepare

Curated Privacy LLC specializes in helping small and medium-sized U.S. businesses navigate complex data privacy laws. We break down the APRA’s requirements and build tailored privacy programs to prepare you—whether it passes this year or not.