Oklahoma’s New Privacy Law Expands Data Rights, but Most Probably Won’t Notice

Roshni Patel, counsel in Troutman Pepper Locke’s Privacy + Cyber Practice Group, was quoted in the April 10, 2026 StateScoop article, “Oklahoma’s New Privacy Law Expands Data Rights, but Most Probably Won’t Notice.”

• One expert said Oklahoma’s data-privacy law offers “middle of the road” protections that could wind up superseded by industry trends.
• …
• Roshni Patel, an attorney at the international law firm Troutman Pepper Locke, said Oklahoma’s law in some ways has a narrower scope and is more business friendly than more stringent comprehensive consumer privacy laws, but that it’s representative of a “middle of the road” approach to regulating data privacy.
• “Some of the definitions are lighter than what we see in California and Colorado, and then some of the more stringent requirements from California are missing as well,” Roshni said.
• …
• Despite this, consumers may not notice any changes, Patel said. She noted that only those who “know enough to check privacy policy” may see that they have rights specifically offered. And because some companies are opting to offer these rights to all users anyway, instead of attempting to comply with a patchwork of varying regulations across state lines, Oklahoma’s law might not make that much of a splash.
• “Some companies are choosing now, with 20 state privacy laws in effect, or taking effect soon, to just give rights to the entire U.S. population. So if you make a request, they’ll honor it, regardless of where you reside,” Patel said. “As the laws are becoming slightly different, and we’re seeing more of them, we have seen sort of a shift towards companies now only offering rights to residents of states that have privacy laws.”
• She said one change is that “Oklahoma residents will now have rights to exercise with respect to the processing of their personal information. … But it is kind of like you have to be in the know, because there’s no flashy DROP system, like in California.”
• Though Oklahoma’s law may not stand out, Patel said it’s still notable that states are attempting to regulate privacy where federal lawmakers have failed. Some experts have noted that efforts to pass a national data privacy law have been somewhat eclipsed by controversies surrounding artificial intelligence regulation.
• “The context and timing does make it interesting, but they didn’t really include anything too notable or anything that stands out,” she said. “So it seems like they want to give their residents the baseline rights that other state residents now have.”