Bellows law to protect internet privacy takes effect today
A new law from Sen. Shenna Bellows, D-Manchester, to protect the privacy of internet users takes effect today. LD 946, “An Act To Protect the Privacy of Online Customer Information,” prevents internet service providers operating in Maine from selling or sharing a customer’s personal data without the customer’s permission.
“In the midst of this pandemic, Mainers are conducting more and more business, whether personal or professional, online,” said Sen. Bellows. “We have enough to be concerned about already. We shouldn’t have to worry that internet service providers will take advantage of this new influx of data — our personal information — to grow their revenues without our knowledge or consent.”
LD 946 requires internet service providers to obtain the consent of a consumer before selling, sharing or giving away that consumer’s sensitive personal data or information. The law also ensures that internet service providers, or ISPs, cannot coerce consumers into accepting the sharing of their sensitive data as terms for using an internet service provider.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, who supported passage of LD 946, is one of the defendants in the case.
“The state has a significant interest in protecting Maine consumers from practices that may compromise their personal data, or which place their financial well-being at risk,” said AG Frey. “In a landscape where privacy seems to be eroding, it is appropriate for the state to take measures to place guardrails which protect consumers. I was proud to support this bill and will continue to vigorously defend it in court.”
LD 946 passed unanimously in the Maine Senate, and was signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills on May 6, 2019.
