Full Steam Ahead for Massachusetts Data Privacy Bill

Massachusetts residents are closer to having their privacy protected.

This month, Beacon Hill lawmakers advanced an amended comprehensive data privacy bill, The National Law Review reported.

Proponents say the measure, the Massachusetts Information Privacy and Security Act, takes the best provisions from other states, including the California Privacy Rights Act, Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act and the Colorado Privacy Act.

The bill includes broad application to businesses operating in Massachusetts that earn $25 million or more in gross global annual revenues. It expands rights of access, correction, portability, disclosure and deletion for residents’ personal information through a notice and consent framework, with an ability to opt out of the sale of personal information and targeted advertising.

In addition, it would strictly regulate biometric and sensitive data; forbid the processing of personal information that violates anti-discrimination laws; strengthen the Attorney General ability to enforce regulations while subjecting wrongdoers to significant fines, attorney fees and costs; and increase data breach litigation through a private right of action.

The legislation has been under discussion since March of last year. The bill must pass the House and Senate before reaching Governor Charlie Baker’s desk for signature. If enacted, the proposed law has the potential to reshape how businesses and Massachusetts consumers interact.

But having each state devise their own privacy rules might not be the best answer, according to one expert.

Read more: US Must Learn From Europe in Privacy, AI Regulation, Says Policy Expert

In an interview with PYMNTS, Marc Rotenberg, president and founder of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit whose mission is to ensure that digital policies and artificial intelligence promote a better society, said while some states have made privacy laws a priority, a patchwork approach won’t work.

“Like all quilts, some have holes, and some have weak threads,” he said.