Several Massachusetts lawmakers supported passing privacy legislation Wednesday. However, at a lengthy livestreamed hearing, members of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology said little about how they might coalesce around a plethora of comprehensive and narrower privacy bills that came up for discussion.
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In a lengthy hearing Tuesday in front of Vermont's House Commerce and Economic Committee, lawmakers weighed testimony from concerned parents, youth and other advocates of a kids code bill. However, the tech industry opposed the bill for privacy and First Amendment reasons.
A Democrat and a Republican testified together at a hearing Tuesday in support of an opt-in bill meant to enhance New Hampshire’s comprehensive privacy law. The state’s Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on HB-195, which passed the House on a bipartisan basis March 26 despite industry arguments that supplementing the state’s comprehensive privacy law is unnecessary (see 2503270021). The committee also considered a House-passed government privacy bill (HB-522).
The House Commerce Committee on Tuesday passed the Take It Down Act on a 49-1 vote. Democrats failed to attach the Kids Online Safety Act and language that would restore two fired Democratic commissioners at the FTC.
Two social media safety bills are advancing in the Arkansas legislature after a court recently blocked the state’s 2023 age-verification law. Meanwhile, as many states consider age-verification bills aimed at protecting kids’ privacy online (see 2503060022), a social media age-assurance bill passed Montana's House Friday.
Compliance with EU data protection principles is the first step toward ensuring that minors aren't exposed to harmful content online, European Data Protection Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiorowski said Monday. Age assurance or verification is also important, but it shouldn't entirely block children from accessing some content, speakers said at the European Parliament Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) meeting.
House Commerce Committee Republicans will begin meeting in person with offices and stakeholders on drafting comprehensive privacy legislation, a committee staffer told us Monday.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has taken up a challenge to New Jersey’s Daniel’s Law, which plaintiffs say is a violation of the First Amendment. The 3rd Circuit’s review of such a law is unusual and will impact other states that attempt to model it, but might also serve as an opportunity to review the statute and tighten it, said privacy lawyers.
Two board members of the California Privacy Protection Agency sharply questioned whether the agency should regulate automated decision-making tools (ADMT) at a Friday meeting. Board member Alastair Mactaggart said the board must take seriously several stakeholders' threats about possible litigation if the CPPA pursues AI regulation in an ongoing rulemaking about ADMT and several other subjects. Chairperson Jennifer Urban pushed back.