Oregon bill would ban sale of precise location data and bar targeted ads to under-16s

Representative Willie Chotson, one of the chief sponsors, told the Senate Committee on Judiciary on May 5 that House Bill 2008A would add two narrow but important changes to the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act: prohibit the sale of precise geolocation data and prohibit processing or sale of personal data for targeted advertising when the controller knows or willfully disregards that the consumer is under 16.

Chotson said the proposal grew from constituent concerns about rapid technological change and data brokers. "A really common-sense bill that is aimed at protecting children and families," he said, and he urged the committee to adopt the A-4 amendment that reorganizes existing OCPA text for clarity without changing the substance.

The bill would add a bar on selling personal data that accurately identifies a consumer within a radius of 1,750 feet and would remove the existing "acts" exception that otherwise can allow processing or sale where a consumer has consented. On the House floor the measure passed unanimously; Chotson…