Bob Duff

General Law Committee to Hold Public Hearing on Data Privacy Bill

Tomorrow, Thursday March 3, the General Law Committee will hold a public hearing on Senate Bill 6, ‘An Act Concerning Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring,’ one of the main priorities of Senate Democrats this legislative session. Under Senate Bill 6, companies will be required to clearly cite a privacy policy telling consumers what data is being collected, how it is being used, and why.

State Senator James Maroney (D-Milford), Chair of the General Law Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), introduced Senate Bill 893, “An Act Concerning Consumer Privacy” in February 2021. The bill received favorable votes in three committees but was never voted on by the legislature. This year, Senate Democrats will follow similar action taken by California and Colorado and propose legislation to protect consumers with new privacy rights. Tomorrow, Senator Maroney will lead the public hearing and listen to testimony.

“Ensuring protection for consumers on the internet is necessary as our world continues to evolve online,” said Sen. Maroney. “This is my priority this legislative session and I will work to give people the right to feel protected online.”

Senate Bill 6 will include the following:

• The right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared or sold, both as to the categories and specific pieces of personal information;
• The right to delete personal information held by businesses and by extension, a business’s service provider;
• The right to opt-out of sale of personal information. Consumers are able to direct a business that sells personal information to stop selling that information.
• Children under the age of 16 must provide opt in consent, with a parent or guardian consenting for children under 13.
• The right to non-discrimination in terms of price or service when a consumer exercises a privacy right under the bill.

The public hearing is set to begin tomorrow at 10 a.m.