Articles

While temperatures are starting to dip, concerns still simmered in September for the insights industry as we dealt with more new state privacy laws, burgeoning regulation of AI, and other pressing advocacy issues.

With a potential government shutdown looming and major design decisions for the 2030 decennial census almost upon us, the Insights Association joined more than ninety groups urging higher funding for the Census Bureau in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24).

As temperatures rose, so did the threats and opportunities for the insights industry in advocacy during May, ranging from three new comprehensive state privacy laws, advancing regulation of artificial intelligence, compliance concerns with state sales taxes, jousting over the Census Household Panel, restrictions on high-end incentives for research subjects, state legislation to ban non-competes, and a new Maryland law restricting most telephone calls for research purposes.

With DC subsumed in big picture battles over federal spending and the debt ceiling, the Insights Association recently joined a coalition letter in support of Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) funding for the decennial census and American Community Survey (ACS).

The insights industry faced challenges on multiple advocacy fronts in April, such as: growing risks from the boom in generative AI; new privacy laws and regulations; an FTC proposal to eliminate noncompete agreements; a new attempt at insourcing insights work by the Census Bureau; and a proposed new tax on data in Nevada.

The leading trade association for the insights industry told Congress on April 14, 2023 that the Census Household Panel, a program the Census Bureau aims to insource from its failed contract to develop an online research panel, is a waste of taxpayer money.

Welcome to spring, where the insights industry has been facing challenges in regulation and legislation, including state and federal data privacy (especially the finalized rules you need to know in California), the treatment of research subjects as independent contractors, and prohibitions on non-compete agreements. We also welcomed the new scathing conclusions of a federal investigation into the Census Bureau’s attempt to compete against the insights industry, and reviewed the players on Congr...

A federal watchdog has criticized the Ask U.S. Panel project, concluding an investigation of the Census Bureau’s attempt to develop an online research panel to compete with the insights industry.

As we begin a new year, let’s take a quick look back at the insights industry’s successes and challenges covered by the Insights Association in December 2022, including: wins and losses on taxes specifically targeting insights; wins and losses on state privacy bills; last-minute preparations for new state privacy laws; bringing transparency to the Census Bureau’s attempts to compete with our industry; and state and federal legislation impacting our ability to treat research subjects as indepe...

An omnibus Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) appropriations bill was introduced early on December 20, 2022, including language demanding transparency on the Census Bureau's Ask U.S. Panel project, as requested by the leading nonprofit association for the insights industry. (It became law shortly thereafter)