A proposed law in Massachusetts call to put a dent in the data brokerage industry by banning the sale of cellular position data point . Suffice it to say , it would be really awing if the bill passes .
Currently , data brokers can and do sell your cellular location information to whomever they please . firm say this data is anonymized but the truth is that it caneasily be de - anonymized . The information brokerage industry is middling much totally unregulated , allowing for an assortment of unsavoury customers to buy Americans ’ data willy nilly . These customers admit our ownintelligence agencies , hostileforeign governmentsand just random crawl .
gratefully , theLocation Shield Actwould outlaw “ selling , leasing , trading , or renting location data ” across Massachusetts and would also thrust companies to get consent if they even wanted to collect or work such datum . Companies that did not comply with the ordinance could face country effectual natural process via the Massachusetts Attorney General ’s office and would also open up themselves up to form - legal action judicial proceeding . If passed , it would be a legislative first for our area .
Photo: Tero Vesalainen (Shutterstock)
The law come along to have beencatalyzed bythe Supreme Court ’s overturning of Roe v. Wade . Ever since federal protections for miscarriage were abolished , the subject of datum privacy has taken onnew relevancy for woman . rightfulness advocates fear that digital evidence of all sort ( include , potentially , datum of the variety that the Shield Act fishing gear ) may be used to prosecute women for breaking miscarriage laws . As a result , a number of rights groups , including the ACLU and Planned Parenthood , push forthe adoption of the Shield Act , partially as a means of protect abortion - seekers from prosecution , should they choose to travel to the land for aesculapian procedures . Massachusetts is considereda good seaport for womenfrom other states who may travel there to seek abortion .
“ Every 24-hour interval , unregulated datum brokers buy and deal personal location information from apps on our cellular phone , revealing where we exist , work , playact , and more . To protect our privacy , safety gadget , access to miscarriage and other essential health care , Massachusetts needs to banish this drill now by passing the Location Shield Act , ” the ACLU writeson its internet site .
Fast Companyreportsthat the banker’s bill is largely support by the state ’s Democrat - laden legislative assembly and is “ probable to become natural law . ”
If the law passes , it will set a legislative precedent that could spread to many other part of the nation . I truly desire that occur . That enunciate , it really speak volume about the state of digital privacy in America when a constabulary like this find like a triumph . Should n’t keeping location data individual just be sorta a given and not a extra privilege ? Call me old - fashioned but I just do n’t think the Department of Homeland Security deserves toknow where you areall the prison term . That seems sorta creepy .
Information privacyInternet privacyPrivacySocial Issues
Daily Newsletter
Get the better tech , science , and culture news in your inbox day by day .
News from the time to come , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
