There will likely be increasing privacy enforcement efforts this year on the state level as more legislatures grant their attorneys general additional power and tools to go after organizations that have experienced breaches, some experts say.

Attorney Patricia Shea, partner at K&L Gates LLP in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, tells RPP that she sees state-level authorities getting involved in “really bad events. If one or two individuals are affected by a breach, I do not see states stepping in,” she says. “But if thousands of residents are affected, states’ attorneys general have a reason to be active. I think California, Florida and perhaps New York may be very likely to respond to these events.”