Privacy Law Status

Your Rights as a Tennessee Resident

Under TIPA, Tennessee residents acting in a personal capacity have several important rights regarding their personal information when dealing with covered businesses[1][12][5].

• Right to know what data is collected: You can request confirmation of whether a business is processing your personal information and access details about what data they have collected about you[1][12].
• Right to delete personal information: You can request deletion of personal information that you provided to a business, subject to certain exceptions for legal compliance and legitimate business needs[1][12].
• Right to correct inaccurate data: You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or outdated personal information that a business maintains about you[1][12].
• Right to data portability: You can obtain a copy of your personal information in a readily usable format to transfer to another service provider[1][12].
• Right to opt out of data sales: You can opt out of the sale of your personal information to third parties, as well as targeted advertising and certain types of profiling[1][12][3].
• Right to non-discrimination: Businesses cannot discriminate against you for exercising any of these privacy rights, including denying services or charging different prices[1][12].
• Right to opt-in consent for processing sensitive data: You must provide opt-in consent before a business can process sensitive personal information, such as biometric data, health information, racial/ethnic origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or citizenship/immigration status.

Parents and legal guardians can exercise these rights on behalf of their children[1][9]. Businesses must respond to authenticated consumer requests within 45 days, with the possibility of a 45-day extension if needed[12][5].

Business Requirements

TIPA establishes several key obligations for covered businesses to protect consumer privacy and enable the exercise of consumer rights[5].

• Coverage thresholds: The law applies to businesses generating over $25 million in annual revenue that either process personal information of 175,000+ Tennessee residents annually or process data of 25,000+ residents while earning over 50% of revenue from data sales[6][7].
• Privacy notice requirements: Companies must provide clear privacy notices detailing what personal information they collect, how it’s used, what categories are sold to third parties, and how consumers can exercise their rights[9][12].
• Consumer request procedures: Businesses must establish secure and reliable methods for consumers to submit privacy requests without requiring new account creation, authenticate consumer identities, and respond within specified timeframes[12][5].
• Appeal processes: Companies must provide clear appeal procedures for denied consumer requests and resolve appeals within 60 days[12][5].
• Data security measures: Businesses must implement reasonable security protections for personal information they process[1].
• Risk assessment obligations: Covered entities must conduct formal risk assessments for certain data processing activities[10].

Practical Impact

• Daily life protection: TIPA provides Tennessee residents with meaningful control over their personal information when interacting with large businesses online and offline, including the ability to limit data sharing, correct errors, and understand how their information is being used[1][10].
• Enforcement limitations: The law provides no private right of action, meaning individual consumers cannot sue companies directly for violations – only the Tennessee Attorney General can bring enforcement actions[11][5].
• Reporting violations: If you believe a business has violated your privacy rights under TIPA, you can file a complaint with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs, which offers an informal mediation program to resolve disputes[13][10].
• Notable gaps: Unlike some other state privacy laws, TIPA does not support universal opt-out mechanisms like Global Privacy Control, requiring consumers to contact each business individually to exercise their rights[9].
• Business context exclusion: The law only covers consumers acting in a personal context, not in commercial or employment situations[1][2][7].

Comparison Context

• Moderate privacy protections: TIPA provides similar core consumer rights as other comprehensive state privacy laws but is considered more business-friendly than California’s CCPA/CPRA, with fewer technical requirements and longer compliance timelines[1][9].
• Higher coverage thresholds: Tennessee’s thresholds for business coverage are higher than some states – for example, requiring processing of 175,000 consumers versus 100,000 in some other states[1][6].
• Limited opt-out mechanisms: Unlike California and some other states, Tennessee does not require businesses to honor universal opt-out signals, making it more burdensome for consumers to exercise their rights across multiple platforms[9].
• No revenue-only threshold: Unlike California’s CCPA, TIPA does not include a revenue-only threshold that would automatically cover large businesses regardless of data processing volumes[1][6].
• Enforcement approach: Similar to most other state privacy laws, TIPA relies exclusively on attorney general enforcement rather than providing consumers with a private right of action[11].

Action Steps for Residents

• Review privacy notices: When interacting with large businesses, read their privacy notices to understand what personal information they collect and how you can exercise your rights under TIPA[9].
• Exercise your opt-out rights: Contact businesses directly to opt out of data sales, targeted advertising, or profiling if you prefer not to have your information used for these purposes[12][9].
• Submit data requests: If you want to know what personal information a business has about you, request corrections, or ask for deletion, use the secure request methods they’re required to provide[12][5].
• Document your requests: Keep records of any privacy requests you make and the business responses, including any denials, in case you need to file a complaint[13].
• File complaints when necessary: If a business fails to respond appropriately to your privacy requests or violates TIPA, file a complaint with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs[13][10].
• Stay informed: Monitor updates from the Tennessee Attorney General’s office regarding TIPA enforcement and guidance for consumers[10].

Official Resources and Contact Information

Tennessee Attorney General – Consumer Protection

The Tennessee Attorney General has exclusive authority to enforce TIPA and offers consumer complaint mediation services[13][11][10].

Division of Consumer Affairs
Phone: (615) 741-4737
Toll-free within Tennessee: (800) 342-8385
Email: consumer.affairs@ag.tn.gov
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 20207, Nashville, TN 37202-0207

Consumer Protection Division
Phone: (615) 741-1671
For antitrust and anti-competitive activity reports

Online complaint form and additional resources are available through the Tennessee Attorney General’s consumer affairs website[13][14].

Tennessee General Assembly

Contact your state legislators about privacy issues and future privacy legislation.

Find Your Legislators:
Use the “Find My Legislator” tool at capitol.tn.gov by entering your address to identify your specific state representative and senator[15][16].

General Assembly Contact:
Tennessee General Assembly
Phone: (615) 741-3511
Website: capitol.tn.gov

Governor’s Office

For providing input on privacy policy and legislation:

Office of Governor Bill Lee
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-9872
Phone: (615) 741-2001
Website: tn.gov/governor

Legislative Information and Public Participation

Tennessee residents can track privacy-related legislation, review committee schedules, and participate in public comment periods through the General Assembly website[16]. Committee meetings often provide opportunities for public input on proposed privacy legislation.

The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office also provides information about civic engagement and contacting elected officials at tn.gov/sos.

Sources and Citations

Last Updated August 2025. Written with contributions from both human authors and Perplexity AI. If you find incorrect or outdated information let us know at support@optery.com.