Live data from Hacker News

Massachusetts bans sale of precise location data in new privacy rights bill

techcrunch.com

61–65 of 65 posts

Re: Massachusetts bans sale of precise location data in new privacy rights bill

#61
post #33
post #13

California very quietly passed AB-1542 last week which includes precise location data, health data, SSNs, etc. I expect many states to follow suit. Related, General Motors got hit with a $12.75M fine for reselling OnStar location data last month: https://ccpa.world/enforcement/gm-onstar-smart-driver

The FTC settlement with GM allows GM to sell precise location as long as it's anonymized by attaching it to anonymous identifiers rather than personal info. It also allows non-precise location (e.g. zipcode/census-block) attached to identifying information. Apparently no one at the FTC is smart enough to realize if Bob and anonid both move through the same sequence of approximate locations that the anonid is Bob. Or…

The CPPA went above the FTC and banned it outright, as well as forcing the two registered data brokers who bought the data to delete it.

Re: Massachusetts bans sale of precise location data in new privacy rights bill

#62

still waiting for any of the many existing privacy bills, worldwide, to start doing meaningful enforcement.

We need private right of action. That's the big thing holding up the sweeping Mass privacy law. The house supports a private right to action and the senate only wants the attorney general enforcing the law.

Do you have any links that elaborate on this? I haven't been following the Mass privacy law, but if this is true it seems like now is the time to pressure the state senate into adopting the private right of action.

Re: Massachusetts bans sale of precise location data in new privacy rights bill

#63
post #32
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always thought that is from companies that get their hands on registration data. Or I could be wrong and it is the dealer itself selling it on not the manufacturer.

Pretty sure it's registration data. Anything public is now used for junk. We transferred a piece of property this year and have been getting constant spam for realtors to sell it for us. We bought a used car from an individual and started getting spam for warranties once we registered it and got plates.

Just to be clear: real estate is generally public records viewable by anybody, while vehicle titles/registrations generally aren't (without having been deliberately sold by the state).

Re: Massachusetts bans sale of precise location data in new privacy rights bill

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We need private right of action. That's the big thing holding up the sweeping Mass privacy law. The house supports a private right to action and the senate only wants the attorney general enforcing the law.

Do you have any links that elaborate on this? I haven't been following the Mass privacy law, but if this is true it seems like now is the time to pressure the state senate into adopting the private right of action.

Here (https://epic.org/press-release-massachusetts-house-stands-up...)

Re: Massachusetts bans sale of precise location data in new privacy rights bill

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any links that elaborate on this? I haven't been following the Mass privacy law, but if this is true it seems like now is the time to pressure the state senate into adopting the private right of action.

Here ( https://epic.org/press-release-massachusetts-house-stands-up... )

Thank you. I had seen that while digging, but I was hoping for some kind of direct comparison, description of where the law is in the process, call to action page, etc.

But regardless, your comment prompted me to look at the details myself, see what you were saying is true, and just call my [state] senator to express support for a private right of action as they reconcile the two versions. I'm hopeful that with both versions being passed unanimously, and the more recent one having the private right of action, that it has the momentum.

Post reply on HN