Richmond, VA – The Virginia Senate voted unanimously today to pass 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.
“Consumer Reports applauds the Virginia Senate for advancing this key consumer privacy legislation,” said Matt Schwartz, policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “It is extremely dangerous that data brokers collect extensive records of our daily movements that they sell to the highest bidder. This practice needs to stop. We thank Virginia Senator Russet Perry for her leadership on this bill and urge the Virginia House to advance the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act without delay.”
If signed into law, Virginia would join Maryland and Oregon in banning the sale of precise geolocation information. Several other states are expected to consider similar bans in 2026, including California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, 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