California lawmaker pushing to narrow landmark digital privacy law is married to Ring surveillance doorbell executive

Ring doorbell
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

California's pioneering Consumer Privacy Act, which gives Californians new and robust digital privacy rights, is set to take effect Jan. 1, and the tech industry is lobbying to narrow its scope before it goes into force. California Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin (D) is behind legislation seeking to exempt certain types of "personal information" from the law, Politico reports, and she's also married to the chief operating officer of Ring, the home video surveillance doorbell company purchased by Amazon last year for $1 billion.

Ring, which has partnered with police forces across the country, has a definite stake in the Privacy Act, consumer privacy advocates say, and Irwin's prominent involvement in the efforts to push changes backed by the industry could pose a conflict of interest.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.