Garabedian: 'Location Shield Act' Would Bar Sale of Location Data

At the Malden forum, state Rep. Kate Lippert Garabedian described data privacy as a top legislative priority and outlined bills she said she has filed to limit commercial harvesting of personal information.

Garabedian said the Location Shield Act would “prohibit the sale of your location data” and make Massachusetts among the strongest states on that issue; she also said she sponsored a student and educator data privacy bill to protect school records and classroom tech use. She said the broader comprehensive data-privacy legislation that both chambers passed would form the basis for further work, including future measures addressing artificial intelligence.

Other candidates echoed concern about data brokers and the sale of individuals’ profiles. Ryan O’Malley argued that government entities should not be buying data from private brokers and said the state must regulate data brokers’ activities. Candidates pointed to specific harms such as location data being used by immigration enforcement or political advertisers and urged statutory protections, state funding to help districts implement privacy rules and a multi‑state approach to vetting vendors.

The forum recorded policy proposals and sponsorship claims but not bill text or reported votes; Garabedian said she expects the Location Shield Act to reach the governor’s desk in the current term.