Massachusetts Passes Bill Banning Location Data
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- Massachusetts House passed the Consumer Data Privacy Act with a unanimous 146‑0 vote on Thursday.
- Consumer Data Privacy Act would ban the sale of precise location data and other sensitive personal information (biometrics, religion, immigration status, sexual orientation) without explicit user consent.
- Law applies to companies handling personal data of over 100,000 consumers, covering medium‑sized startups and large tech firms.
- Evan Greer of Fight for the Future praised the bill as a major step toward cracking down on Big Tech’s surveillance abuses.
- Massachusetts Senate had already advanced its version in September, and the combined bill will be sent to the governor for signing, with no timeline set.
Why it matters: Consumers and visitors gain control over their location and biometric data, while data brokers and advertisers lose a lucrative source of targeted information, reshaping how tech firms monetize user data in Massachusetts.
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