Augusta, Maine – Maine’s Senate today advanced the Maine Online Data Privacy Act (Maine L.D. 1822), a comprehensive privacy bill that would extend baseline privacy rights to Maine consumers. The bill now returns to the House for concurrence.
The Maine Online Data Privacy Act would provide Maine consumers with privacy protections matching those in some of the strongest state laws passed to-date. The bill includes:
- Data minimization provisions that set meaningful limits on the personal data that companies can collect and the sensitive data they can use;
- A prohibition on the sale of sensitive data, including consumers’ precise geolocation data;
- Enhanced protections for minors’ personal data, including prohibitions on the sale of such data and its use for targeted advertising
“We commend Maine’s Senate for working swiftly to advance meaningful privacy legislation that will protect the personal information of their constituents,” said Matt Schwartz, policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “CR has long championed strong provisions like those included in the Maine Online Data Privacy Act because they will protect consumers by default, instead of requiring them to make endless consent choices in order to fully protect themselves. Bright line bans of harmful data practices, such as the sale of sensitive information and third-party targeted advertisements to children are also extremely welcome. We look forward to continuing to work with policymakers to uphold these key protections as the bill is finalized in the legislature.”
Contact: cyrus.rassool@consumer.org