FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In a unanimous vote, the State Senate passed legislation that, according to local State Senator Mike Barrett, marks a key step in curbing the ability of private companies to gather and sell people’s personal information.
The bill establishes the right for Massachusetts residents to know what information of theirs is being collected. And it enables them to opt out of having their data sold to other companies or used for targeted advertising.
“I’m besieged, as others are, with constant requests to let an online vendor know my exact location,” Barrett said. “It’s unclear to me why they need this information or what other data they’re collecting. The bill adds important checks on the information these businesses can gather.”
Also included in the legislation: guardrails to prevent companies from collecting certain sensitive data unless strictly necessary and a ban on the sale of any sensitive data that is collected. Protected data includes health care information; face scans and fingerprints; precise geolocation; information about a person’s religion or ethnicity; information related to a person’s immigration status; and personal information of children. The Senate included additional protections for minors, including a full ban on the sale of young people’s data.
During debate on the floor, Senators also adopted an amendment that extends the ban on sales of geolocation data to cover anyone who visits Massachusetts for any reason, including travel to the state for health and abortion-related care.
“We closed a loophole that would have left visitors to Massachusetts vulnerable,” Barrett said. “This is about protecting people who live in states where health care is under siege.”
Having passed the Senate, the legislation now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.