On March 20, 2026, Oklahoma’s Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 546, which establishes a consumer data privacy law for the state. Oklahoma’s law takes effect January 1, 2027.
To whom does the law apply?
The law applies to controllers (or processors) operating in the state and handling data for:
- at least 100,000 consumers; or,
- at least 25,000 consumers, while earning over half of their revenue from selling personal data.
There are certain exemptions for state agencies and their service providers, financial institutions covered by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, entities covered by HIPAA/HITECH, non-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education.
Who is protected by the law?
A consumer protected under the legislation is defined as an individual who is a resident of Oklahoma, acting only in an individual or household capacity. A consumer does not include a person acting in a commercial or employment context.
What data is protected by the law?
The law protects “personal data,” which means any information, including sensitive data, which is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable individual.
“Sensitive data” is given additional protection and includes the following:
- Personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin
- Religious beliefs
- Mental or physical health diagnosis
- Sexual orientation
- Citizenship or immigration status
- Genetic or biometric data for uniquely identifying an individual
- Personal data collected from a known child
- Precise geolocation data.
What are the rights of consumers?
Under the law, consumers have the following rights:
- To confirm whether a controller is processing their personal data
- To correct inaccurate personal data
- To delete personal data maintained by the controller
- For data available in a digital format, to obtain a copy of their personal data that the consumer previously provided to the controller in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, readily usable format that allows the consumer to transmit the data to another controller without hindrance
- To opt out of the processing of personal data for targeted advertising, sale, or certain profiling
Controllers must respond within 45 days to consumers’ requests under the law, with one additional 45-day extension when reasonably necessary. If declining to act, the controller must explain why and provide appeal instructions.
What obligations do controllers have?
Similar to other state comprehensive privacy laws that have been enacted over the last several years, controllers in Oklahoma must, among other things:
- Comply with data minimization principles, including limiting the collection of personal data to what is adequate, relevant, and reasonably necessary;
- Perform data protection assessments relating to certain data processing activities, including processing sensitive data;
- Provide a reasonably accessible and clear privacy notice to consumers;
- Include certain provisions in agreements with processors concerning personal data;
- Maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security practices
- Avoid processing for incompatible purposes without consent
- Avoid unlawful discrimination and discriminating against consumers for exercising their rights
- Obtain consent before processing sensitive data and comply with COPPA for known children
How is the law enforced?
The Attorney General has exclusive authority to enforce violations of the legislation. Violators of the law may incur a fine of up to $7,500 per violation. The law makes clear that it shall not be construed as providing a basis for a private right of action for a violation of this law.
If you have questions about Oklahoma’s new privacy law or related issues, please reach out to a member of our Privacy, Data, and Cybersecurity practice group to discuss.