Alan Butler Executive Director and President | Official website
The Vermont Legislature has passed a bill, considered one of the most robust data privacy measures in the country, prohibiting the sale of sensitive data such as social security and drivers’ license numbers, as well as financial or health information. This legislation also sets substantial limits on the amount of personal data that companies can collect and use, according to the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) based in Washington, D.C.
While over a dozen states have comprehensive data privacy laws, Vermont's is perceived as "among the strongest, if not the strongest" in the country, stated Caitriona Fitzgerald, deputy director of EPIC.
State Rep. Monique Priestley, a Democrat and sponsor of the bill, emphasized to her colleagues that without thorough and comprehensive measures, potential gaps could be exploited thereby undermining the protections legislators sought to establish. “At a time when everything we do and everything we are is monetized in a surveillance economy, the urgency of this moment cannot be overstated,” she said, according to EPIC.
A significant provision in this legislation allows consumers to sue companies for non-compliance with privacy laws. Fitzgerald highlighted this aspect as being particularly effective in ensuring corporate adherence to privacy regulations. She added that state attorneys general often lack sufficient resources to enforce these privacy regulations.
