SACRAMENTO, CA – Consumer Reports today announced support for the reintroduction of the California Location Privacy Act, legislation that would create commonsense protections around the collection and use of consumers’ precise geolocation data, including banning the sale of it outright. Assembly Bill 322, which Consumer Reports will co-sponsor, takes the place of Assembly Bill 1355, legislation that failed to secure passage from the Assembly Appropriations Committee earlier this session.
“We applaud Assemblymember Ward for continuing to champion this vital legislation and urge California lawmakers to pass AB 322 without delay,” said Matt Schwartz, policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “Location data is among the most sensitive information companies can collect—it can reveal visits to reproductive or mental health clinics, political rallies, places of worship, and other potentially sensitive locations. At a time when location tracking is increasingly being weaponized against consumers, stopping the commercial sale of consumers’ location data is one of the most effective steps lawmakers can take to safeguard consumer privacy. While there are plenty of valid reasons to collect consumers’ location information to provide requested services, this information shouldn’t be sold or otherwise used to facilitate stalking, scams, unfair pricing, or other abuse.”
Key provisions of AB 322 include:
- A ban on the sale of precise geolocation information;
- Data minimization provisions that prohibit businesses from collecting or using precise geolocation data unless it is reasonably necessary to provide the service requested by consumers; and
- Strict limits on the retention of precise geolocation information
Consumer Reports urges the California legislature to advance AB 322 without delay and to continue leading the way on meaningful consumer privacy protections.
Contact: cyrus.rassool@consumer.org