Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Maryland committee hears dueling views on privacy bill to narrow data‑collection limits
Summary
Supporters said HB 13‑65 would align Maryland—s data minimization rule with other states and Europe; consumer advocates and privacy groups warned it would weaken protections enacted last year and encourage more data collection and "consent fatigue."
House Economic Matters Committee — A bill to change Maryland—s data minimization standard drew sharply divided testimony on March 4 as lawmakers considered HB 13‑65.
Delegate Andrea Harrison (Prince George—s County), the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure would clarify a novel, strict requirement in last year—s Maryland Online Data Privacy Act that businesses collect only data "requested by the consumer" for a specific product or service. Harrison and business witnesses said that interpretation could force companies to add many state‑specific pop‑ups and degrade user experience.
"This provision in the law has created significant confusion and could lead to consumer consent fatigue," Harrison said, arguing the bill would adopt a standard — "adequate, relevant and reasonably necessary" — used in the EU—s GDPR and…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
