California Location Privacy Bill Returns to Life
Consumer Reports urged California legislators Tuesday to approve a location privacy bill that was reintroduced this week by replacing the text of another bill (AB-322).
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Among other things, the bill would ban the sale of consumers’ precise geolocation data. The measure by Assemblymember Chris Ward (D) was previously numbered AB-1355, but it failed last month in the Assembly Appropriations Committee (see 2505230062). The Assembly passed AB-322 with a different text related to education.
“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,” said Matt Schwartz, a Consumer Reports policy analyst. “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.”