Judiciary Committee hears testimony on bill letting judges, prosecutors and others force data brokers to stop disclosing home contact details

The Judiciary Committee on March 11 heard extended testimony on a bill (H.342) that would let a list of "covered persons" and their authorized agents notify data brokers to cease disclosing specified personal information.

The committee chair opened the hearing by explaining the committee's role: because some sections of the bill touch on damages, punitive awards and negligence standards, Judiciary would review those parts before sending the bill to the Commerce Committee for the technical privacy elements.

The bill defines covered persons to include active and former judges, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, public defenders, parole and probation officers, municipal employees and employees of the state Family Services Division, plus immediate family members. It identifies "protected information" as a home address, home telephone number (including personal cell phones used for personal communication), personal email address, Social Security or driver's license numbers, and a vehicle license plate or other unique vehicle identifiers. The bill would apply to entities defined in state law as data brokers: businesses that knowingly collect and sell or license brokered personal information about a consumer when the business does not have a direct relationship with that consumer.

Rick Segal, who said his portfolio is mostly Commerce Committee work, walked the committee through draft language and highlighted several points that drew committee questions: that a covered person or an authorized agent may send a written notice to a data broker requesting nondisclosure; that data brokers must "cease…