Fight for Privacy in Massachusetts

We need data privacy legislation now.

Every day, Big Tech firms like Meta, Amazon, and Google systematically collect our data, and dangerous data brokers share it with anyone for the right price. We desperately need comprehensive privacy legislation that prioritizes people — not corporations — and puts us back in control of our personal information. 

State lawmakers have introduced the Massachusetts Data Privacy Protection Bill (MDPPA), S.25/H.83. This bill would establish strong protections of our data and the right for us to take companies that do not abide by those protections to court (private right of action).

Among other things, the MDPPA would:

• Require covered businesses to post an understandable privacy policy that explains what data they collect, the purpose of collecting the data, and any third parties or data brokers they share the data with.
• Prevent businesses from collecting, processing, or transferring any protected data if it’s not reasonably necessary for them to provide their service. They must abide by a higher level of protection, “strictly necessary,”  for our sensitive data.
• Allow you to opt-out of the transfer of any of your data for targeted advertising.
• Stop companies from knowingly targeting minors with advertisements.
• Allow you to see the data that has been collected by businesses, give you the right to have any errors or omissions corrected, and to have your data deleted.

The bill also creates strict limitations on the electronic monitoring of workers and reporting requirements on companies that use algorithms to process data in order to protect against risks of an unequal impact on individuals based on their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or registered political party.
Passing this bill would create critical protections, but lawmakers need to hear from you to ensure it moves forward. Take action now to demand lawmakers support the Massachusetts Data Privacy Protection Act.