“We still have a duty and a critical need to protect people's identities and their money,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore).
The two newly introduced data privacy bills take inspiration from more aggressive regulations in Europe, following in the footsteps of states such as California and Connecticut. Like most states, Maryland does not have comprehensive data privacy laws. Only California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah and Virginia have passed expansion provisions, according to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Some other states have narrower laws restricting the activities of data brokers and internet service providers or regulating online businesses.
But companies collect, store, share and sell Marylanders' personal and sensitive data every day without guardrails, said Rep. Sarah Love (D-Montgomery), who sponsored two of the bills. said Wednesday.
“Most people don't realize that even though they download that free app, it's not actually free. We're paying for it with data,” Love said. “We are both consumers and products.”
The Maryland Online Data Privacy Act would create rules that would require large companies to limit the consumer data they collect to only what is necessary for legitimate business needs. The bill would give big companies new expectations to protect consumer data from cybersecurity threats. Additionally, we enumerate a list of new consumer rights to view, correct, delete, and even opt-out of data collection.
“The passage of the legislation we are announcing today will put safeguards in place to ensure that our most vulnerable consumers are protected, especially when they are online,” said House Speaker Adrian A. Jones (D-Baltimore County). ” he said.
The second bill, called the “Maryland Kids Code,” revives efforts from last session to implement new online protections for children. This proposal was sponsored by Dersu. Jared Solomon (D-Montgomery), CT Wilson (D-Charles), Love will pass the UK's landmark Age Appropriate Design Code, which requires strict privacy settings and significantly limits data collection from minors. I'm making a model. California passed a similar bill in 2022, becoming the first state to adopt stricter standards for protecting children online. At least five other states are considering passing similar measures to limit the use of children's personal information by big tech companies.
Maryland's bill would similarly prevent companies from collecting children's personal data, including location information. This measure will not restrict the type of content that children can view, but it will stop apps and social media platforms from using data to intentionally direct children to all types of content. .
Sen. Benjamin F. Cramer (D-Montgomery) spoke Wednesday in support of the bill, saying it would “allow stalkers to follow children to school or sit in parks and watch their every move. No parent would do that.” “But now, internet companies are tracking everything kids do, watch, read, study, post and chat on the internet.”
Lawmakers also introduced two additional consumer protection bills Wednesday. One case targeted a ticket scalper, and the other targeted an unscrupulous door-to-door salesman for a retail energy supply that ultimately costs some Marylanders hundreds of dollars a year. It is.
Inspired by national outrage over Ticketmaster sales of Taylor Swift's Ellas tour last year, Maryland's legislature, like other states, is targeting scalpers who jack up ticket prices to see megastars and local artists. I made it. They announced Wednesday that theaters in Maryland have reported suspicious reselling activity, even for small productions such as “The Nutcracker,” which is performed annually by a local ballet company.
The bill would allow tickets for concerts and events to be resold below face value and to add fees applied by third-party services used to resell tickets. The law's purpose is to prevent scalpers from buying up tickets within minutes of sales starting and then reselling them at a huge markup. Sen. Dawn Gile (D-Anne Arundel) said the measure would remove the incentive to scalp by requiring tickets to be listed at face value.
“This system is broken and only serves these bad actors,” she added.
The final bill in the consumer protection package would require state licensing for retail energy salespeople and prohibit deceptive marketing practices that trick customers into teaser rates simply to raise costs without notice.
