ACLU of Massachusetts Applauds House Data Privacy Bill

BOSTON — The Massachusetts House Committee on Advanced Information Technology has issued a favorable report for H.4746, An Act establishing the Massachusetts consumer data privacy act. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Carol Rose, executive director at the ACLU of Massachusetts, issued the following statement in response:

“We are deeply appreciative of Speaker Mariano and Chair Farley-Bouvier’s thoughtful leadership to protect people in the Commonwealth from tracking, targeting, and safety threats based on inappropriate collection and abuse of our personal data.

This bill features critical protections banning the sale of precise location information. Allowing anyone with a credit card to purchase this revealing data makes every one of us vulnerable to exploitation, harassment or violence, including seniors, children, people seeking abortion and gender-affirming care, survivors of domestic abuse, veterans, and law enforcement. The House championed important reforms in this area last session, and this comprehensive bill builds on that early effort with a robust new framework.

In addition to the ban on the sale of location data, we applaud the bill’s very pro-consumer limits on the collection and use of personal data and the several ways it builds on other important protections in the Senate bill. This bill represents a great step forward for the Commonwealth. We look forward to working with the House to ensure that none of our most sensitive data can be sold on the open market.

We hope the House will take up this legislation in short order, safeguarding the privacy and safety of all people in the Bay State.”

Read the bill text here.

For more information about the ACLU of Massachusetts, visit https://www.aclum.org/