Judiciary panel questions timeframe, scope and penalties in bill to limit online personal identifying information

Members of the Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee reviewed a draft privacy bill that would make it harder to obtain personal identifying information from the internet, focusing discussion on who would be covered, how quickly data must be removed and how civil penalties or criminal enforcement would operate.

Committee members said the draft needs clearer definitions about whether the law would reach internal, nonpublic databases as well as publicly searchable lists and whether contractors or third-party vendors should be included among covered actors. The committee discussed adding victim advocates, state’s attorney staff, court staff, mental health crisis workers embedded with state police and the attorney general’s office to the list of protected people.

Members said the bill’s 10-business-day removal timeframe raises practical and…