Richmond, VA – The Virginia General Assembly approved SB 338, legislation to amend the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act to ban the sale of consumers’ precise geolocation data. Consumer Reports recently led a coalition of privacy and consumer groups in support of the bill. The bill received unanimous, bipartisan approval at every step of the legislative process.
“Our location data should never be sold to the highest bidder. Today, data brokers and others sell records of our daily movements, including to sensitive locations like healthcare facilities, places of worship, or rallies, as often as every three seconds. This bill would curb those practices and strengthen privacy protections for all Virginians,” said Matt Schwartz, policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “We applaud Senator Russet Perry for her leadership on this critical issue, as well as the Virginia General Assembly for unanimously approving legislation to rein in the unchecked sale of personal geolocation data. We urge Governor Spanberger to sign SB 338 without delay.”
If signed into law, Virginia would join Maryland and Oregon in banning the sale of precise geolocation information. Several other states are considering similar bans during the 2026 legislative session, including California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Washington.
Consumer Reports recently released model legislation, the State Location Privacy Act, that would similarly ban the sale of consumers’ precise geolocation information.
Contact: cyrus.rassool@consumer.org