FRANKFORT, KY—Consumer Reports announced its support today for Senate Bill 15, a consumer data privacy bill in Kentucky that was overwhelmingly voted out of the Senate with bipartisan support.
Sponsored by Senator Whitney Westerfield and Senator John Schickel, the bill extends to consumers important rights, including the right to know the information companies have collected about them, the right to access and delete that information; requires businesses to honor universal opt out signals and authorized agents’ requests to exercise consumer rights; and prohibits companies from charging consumers for exercising their rights. The bill also bans targeted advertising and tracking of children.
“We applaud the Kentucky Senate for advancing meaningful privacy legislation in Kentucky,” said Matt Schwartz, policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “While other states have introduced industry-supported bills that fall short of protecting the privacy of its citizens, this bill gives consumers the option to opt out of sales, sharing, targeted advertising and tracking all at once. We urge the House to advance the measure.”
Kentucky is one of several states that has pursued privacy legislation this year. Legislators are currently considering privacy legislation in other states, such as Hawaii, Indiana, New Hampshire, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont.