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Committee hears bill to create location‑data privacy chapter; ACLU supports measure
Summary
House Bill 6062 would create a new chapter in commercial law to protect location information derived from electronic devices; the Department of Business Regulation would write rules. The ACLU of Rhode Island testified in support, citing the frequency with which phones register location data.
House Bill 6062, described to the House Committee on Innovation and Technology in the sponsor’s absence, would add a new chapter to Rhode Island commercial law to strengthen privacy protections for location information derived from electronic devices.
The clerk read a brief synopsis into the record on behalf of Representative Tansy, the bill sponsor. The synopsis states the bill would require the Department of Business Regulation to promulgate rules to implement, administer and enforce the new chapter.
Madeline McGonigal of the ACLU of Rhode Island testified in support of the bill. She told the committee that a cell phone, when turned on, typically registers its location with the closest cell tower approximately every seven seconds and that a statutory framework to protect disclosure of that data would “impart critical safeguards.”
There was no extended debate on the record about enforcement costs or specific exemptions; the committee moved to hold the bill for further study as part of a motion covering the remaining bills on the agenda.
The ACLU witness said the sensitivity of location data and the frequency with which it is collected make protections desirable; she offered to answer questions and provide additional materials to the committee on request.
