Senator Honig Votes to Shield Residents from Data Brokers, Surveillance Tech

Senator Paul Honig (D-Harwinton) voted Thursday to pass legislation that will safeguard Connecticut residents’ personal information from exploitation by data brokers, surveillance technology companies, and federal agencies.

Senate Bill 4, “An Act Concerning Consumer Privacy and Protection,” addresses a broad range of emerging privacy threats.

“Connecticut residents shouldn’t have to wonder whether their personal data is being bought and sold without their knowledge, and this bill addresses that concern,” Senator Honig said. “Senate Bill 4 gives people the ability to remove their information from data broker databases, restricts how businesses can use facial recognition in public spaces, and bans the sale of precise geolocation data that has already been used by federal agencies to track people. This is straightforward consumer protection that puts residents back in control of their own information.”

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, facial recognition technology, and the exploitative practices of data brokers.

Senate Bill 4 will target the following specific threats to consumer privacy:

• Data brokers: Consumers may request, at no cost, the deletion of any personal data collected by a data broker.
• Facial recognition: Businesses using facial recognition in public spaces must disclose it at each entrance and provide a process for consumers to request removal of their images.
• Dynamic pricing: Strict disclosure requirements apply when businesses use algorithmic pricing to increase prices.
• Geolocation data: Controllers and processors are banned from selling or sharing precise geolocation data.
• Genetic Testing: Consumers would have the right to their own genetic data when using direct to consumer genetic testing services and create more transparency in their policies.
• Volume of Ads: Streaming platforms cannot transmit the audio of any commercial advertisement at a volume that is louder than the volume established by the Federal Communications Commission for television commercials.

Real-World Harm Driving the Legislation

Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff submitted written testimony explaining how his friend and colleague, Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark, were assassinated last summer. Although this terrible tragedy was widely reported in the news, what most people do not know is that the murderer, Vance Boelter, obtained Speaker Hortman’s residential address through data broker websites. For just a few dollars, anyone can gain access to personal sensitive information, including home addresses, phone numbers, and even photos of legislators’ homes and license plates.

Earlier this year, Wegmans disclosed the use of facial recognition in its stores, raising concerns that such data could be sold or shared with federal immigration agencies, a concern already realized with geolocation data, which ICE has purchased from commercial data brokers.

Senate Bill 4 now heads to the House.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Hugh McQuaid | hugh.mcquaid@cga.ct.gov |