Concerned about growing momentum behind efforts to regulate the commercial use of personal data, Big Tech has begun seeding watered-down "privacy" legislation in states with the goal of preempting greater protections, experts say.

The swift passage in March of a consumer data privacy law in Virginia, which Protocol reported was originally authored by Amazon with input from Microsoft, is emblematic of an industry-driven, lobbying-fueled approach taking hold across the country. The Markup reviewed existing and proposed legislation, committee testimony, and lobbying records in more than 20 states and identified 14 states with privacy bills built upon the same industry-backed framework as Virginia's, or with weaker models. The bills are backed by a who's who of Big Tech–funded interest groups and are being shepherded through statehouses by waves of company lobbyists.