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Lindsey Tonsager

Lindsey Tonsager is a recognized leader in representing companies before federal and state regulators, and is renowned for advising on minor protection, AI, and state comprehensive privacy laws.

Lindsey chairs the firm’s global Data Privacy and Cybersecurity practice. She advises clients in their strategic and proactive engagement with the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Congress, the California Privacy Protection Agency, and State Attorneys General on proposed changes to data protection laws, and regularly represents clients in responding to investigations and enforcement actions involving their privacy and information security practices.

Lindsey’s practice focuses on helping clients launch new products and services that implicate the laws governing the use of artificial intelligence; data processing for robotics, autonomous vehicles, and other connected devices; biometrics; online advertising; the collection of personal information from children, teens, and students online; e-mail marketing; disclosures of video viewing information; and new technologies.

Lindsey also assesses privacy and data security risks in complex corporate transactions where personal data is a critical asset or data processing risks are otherwise material. In light of a dynamic regulatory environment where new state, federal, and international data protection laws are always on the horizon and enforcement priorities are shifting, she focuses on designing risk-based global privacy programs for clients that can keep pace with evolving legal requirements and efficiently leverage the clients’ existing privacy policies and practices. She conducts data protection assessments to benchmark against legal requirements and industry trends and proposes practical risk mitigation measures.

On September 30, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed three laws that will regulate the use of AI in the employment context, starting in the new year. Below, we briefly summarize these developments, which we discuss in greater detail in our prior blog post. These laws join an existing body…

Continue Reading New California AI Employment Laws: Key Requirements for Employers

Recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping set of laws related to minors’ privacy and safety, including new laws that restrict covered platforms from providing certain features to users under 16, impose a duty of care on social media platforms, revise the state’s Age-Appropriate Design Code, modify the state’s age-assurance requirements governing age signals, and impose safety requirements on AI chatbots. This blog summarizes the key takeaways from these new laws.

Continue Reading California Enacts Several Minors’ Privacy and Safety Laws

At the end of August, the California legislature passed three bills that would regulate the use of AI in the employment context. These bills are now on Governor Newsom’s desk, and he has until September 30 to sign or veto. Below is a summary of the three bills.

SB 947…

Continue Reading California Legislature Advances AI Employment Bills

California’s new cybersecurity audit requirements under the CCPA are approaching, and companies that collect or process California residents’ personal information should be preparing now. Covington has been helping clients navigate these requirements in real time and has developed practical readiness materials, scoping frameworks, and benchmarking insights that companies can leverage…

Continue Reading CCPA Cyber Audits: Why Companies Should Prepare Now

On August 19, 2026, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $275,000 settlement with online tax preparation company TaxAct over allegations that the company improperly disclosed taxpayer information to advertising partners through third-party tracking technologies on its website. The Attorney General alleged that, between January 2018 and December 2022, TaxAct used third-party tracking technologies for analytics and marketing purposes and, in doing so, disclosed detailed taxpayer information without informing consumers.

The settlement is notable because it highlights regulatory scrutiny over the disclosure of financial information, and also because it imposes extensive governance, monitoring, and auditing requirements on TaxAct relating to the use of third-party tracking technologies. In addition, the settlement does not specify what law was allegedly violated.

Continue Reading Connecticut Attorney General Settles with TaxAct Over Sharing Taxpayer Data

Employers increasingly rely on automated tools to help make decisions concerning hiring, promotion, discipline, and termination. In response, state legislatures and agencies have begun to regulate uses of these technologies, often referred to as automated decision-making technology (“ADMT”). These laws generally require entities that deploy ADMT in the employment context to, among other requirements, notify affected individuals, disclose how ADMT factors into decisions, and provide rights to appeal or request human review.

This remains a fast-moving area and a hot topic for legislative and regulatory focus, with several states enacting laws this year and additional bills pending. Below, we summarize the key legislative and regulatory ADMT developments that apply in the employment context.

Continue Reading ADMT Law Roundup: What Employers Need to Know About Recent ADMT Laws

On July 28, 2026, the New York Office of the Attorney General released final rules (the “Rules”) implementing the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, which goes into effect on January 25, 2027.

The SAFE for Kids Act requires online “addictive social media platforms,” which are defined as websites, online services, and applications that offer an “addictive feed” as a significant portion of their services, to restrict providing an “addictive feed” and nighttime notifications for minor users unless they obtain verifiable parental consent.

Continue Reading New York Publishes Final SAFE For Kids Act Rules

On June 2, 2026, Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoed HB 26-1210, a bill that would have imposed requirements for use of “surveillance data” to set individualized prices for consumers or individualized wage setting for workers. The veto is yet another action in a trend of bills focused on regulating “surveillance” or “dynamic” pricing.

Continue Reading Colorado Governor Vetoes Overly Broad Algorithmic Pricing and Wage Setting Bill

Last month, the Illinois Department of Human Rights (“IDHR”) released draft regulations addressing employers’ use of AI in employment decisions and invited public comment. The IDHR will hold a hearing on the draft regulations on June 10, and the public comment period will close on June 29.

Continue Reading Illinois Department of Human Rights Seeks Public Comment on Draft AI Employment Regulations