General Law Committee Advances Bills to Strengthen Consumer Privacy and Online Safety Protections

Today, two senate democratic caucus bills, Senate Bill 4, ‘An Act Concerning Consumer Privacy’ and Senate Bill 5, ‘An Act Concerning Online Safety’, was passed out of the General Law Committee. Both bills would advance critical protections for Connecticut residents in the digital age.
 
“Real harms are happening to Connecticut residents right now, and we cannot wait for Washington to act,” said State Senator James Maroney (D-Milford), Chair of the General Law Committee. “With these bills, we are saying: if Washington won’t protect us, we will protect ourselves. We want to ensure our residents are safe, especially our children, and equip them with the skills they need to succeed in the modern economy.”
 
“These bills reflect our commitment as Senate Democrats to making sure Connecticut families are protected,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk). “Whether it’s keeping personal data out of the hands of those who would steal it, companies that would make vast profits from the information, federal overreach that is concerning many Americans or ensuring
or ensuring that the AI tools our kids are using aren’t putting their lives at risk, we are proud to be leading the nation on these issues.”
 
Senate Bill 4: Consumer Privacy
Senate Bill 4 introduces comprehensive privacy measures that address emerging threats to consumer data. The bill tackles critical privacy concerns, including the lightly regulated sale of geolocation data, the proliferation of license plate readers and facial recognition technology, and the exploitative practices of data brokers.
 
Specifically, Senate Bill 4 will:
 

• Regulate data brokers by allowing consumers to request, at no cost, the deletion of any personal data collected by a data broker
• Prohibit automated license plate reader entities that have contracted with the Department of Transportation, the Department of Motor Vehicles, or law enforcement agencies from selling or sharing information gathered from those readers
• Require businesses using facial recognition technology to clearly disclose such use at each public entrance and provide consumers with a way to request removal of their facial images from any resulting database
• Regulate dynamic pricing, also known as surge pricing or personalized algorithmic pricing, by creating strict disclosure requirements for consumers
• Require manufacturers of motor vehicles manufactured overseas to affix a label to vehicles reflecting the cost attributable to tariffs
• Ban controllers and processors from selling or sharing precise geolocation data

 
These protections are a direct response to real-world harm. In Minnesota, Vance Boelter obtained personal information through data broker websites that he used to assassinate Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Connecticut’s legislation will help prevent tragedies like this from happening here.

Given federal law enforcement’s current overreach and violations of civil rights, this bill will also help prevent third-party vendors from retaining or providing data that tracks individuals’ movements and locations to federal agencies, including ICE.
 
Senate Bill 5: Online Safety
Senate Bill 5 advances critical artificial intelligence legislation to protect Connecticut residents from emerging digital harms, with a primary focus on preventing AI-driven threats to mental health and youth safety.
 
The bill will require AI chatbot operators to make reasonable efforts to detect suicidal ideation or indicators of self-harm expressed by users and to have a protocol in place to respond with appropriate mental health resources.
 
Over 70% of teenagers use AI companions, with roughly half using them regularly. There have been numerous cases across the country of teenagers who disclosed suicidality to AI chatbots that not only failed to offer mental health resources, but actively encouraged and assisted minors in attempting or completing suicide.
 
Adults have been harmed as well. In in Greenwich, Connecticut, a man killed his elderly mother and then himself after an AI chatbot repeatedly validated his delusions, encouraged him to distrust others, and never once directed him to mental health resources.
 
This bill will also require that individuals be provided with a disclosure when AI is used in a decision-making process affecting their employment, ensuring transparency as AI becomes an increasingly powerful force in hiring and workplace decisions.
 
The legislation will also hold technology companies responsible when their AI systems promote dangerous content or behaviors.
 
Senate Bill 5 also invests in Connecticut’s AI future by promoting responsible AI use and equipping residents with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in a modern AI economy. Through workforce training initiatives and partnerships with state agencies, the bill ensures that Connecticut workers and businesses are not left behind as technology rapidly transforms our economy.
 


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michelle Rappaport | Michelle.Rappaport@cga.ct.gov| 860-240-8671