Maryland lawmakers have taken a strong stand against tech giants by passing two privacy bills that aim to protect consumers and young people from the widespread collection and use of personal data by online platforms. The Maryland Online Data Privacy Act imposes restrictions on how companies can collect and use consumer data in the state, while the Maryland Kids Code is designed to prevent tracking of minors and the use of manipulative techniques to keep young people engaged online.
The passage of these bills is seen as a significant milestone in privacy protection in Maryland, with Delegate Sara Love emphasizing the need to establish safeguards to protect consumers. The bills now await approval from Governor Wes Moore.
The tech industry has raised objections to the legislation, with trade group NetChoice representing major companies such as Amazon, Google, and Meta arguing that the laws violate their constitutional rights to freely distribute information. However, Maryland lawmakers have worked with constitutional experts to address these concerns and ensure the bills adhere to free speech principles.
The Maryland Kids Code is based on a California law and requires social media and video game platforms to implement high privacy settings for minors by default, as well as restricting data collection on minors’ precise locations. Despite potential court challenges, lawmakers are confident in the constitutionality of the legislation.
Overall, Maryland’s passage of comprehensive privacy legislation and children’s online privacy safeguards aligns the state with others like California, Connecticut, Texas, and Utah in taking steps to protect consumer data and online privacy.
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