State Rep. Steve Elkins admits to some irritation when he would see a privacy notice pop up on his computer screen only to be told that his home state doesn’t have the same privacy rights as California, Virginia or Colorado.
Those states are part of a national trend toward explicitly requiring websites to give users enhanced privacy rights and tell them what those rights are.
After five years of trying, Elkins succeeded in May in adding Minnesota to that list with bill language that matches other states and in some instances exceeds them. Starting next July, Minnesota users can prevent personal data from being sold to data brokers, to block that data from being used to target advertising at them. In the case of sensitive personal data such as precise location and biometric data, users would have to give permission before it can be used.
More information on the law…
“Currently, tech companies can collect and sell data such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, payment information, social security numbers, and so much more,” Westlin said before the bill passed. “When Minnesotans engage with tech platforms, they deserve to know what data is being collected, where it is being stored, whether it is secure, and whether their data is being sold.
“The Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act gives Minnesotans rights over their data: the right to access the data, to correct the data … to delete their personal data, to obtain a copy of their data and to opt out of the sale of the data,” she said.
Fines can result from failing to comply.