The Massachusetts House voted 146-0 on June 8 to pass the state's Consumer Data Privacy Act — a bill that bans companies from selling people's precise location data and gives residents new rights to access and delete what companies hold about them.
What the bill does
The law applies to any company that handles personal data on more than 100,000 Massachusetts consumers. It requires explicit consent before companies can share or sell sensitive data — including precise geolocation, biometrics, genetic information, health data, and details about religion, immigration status, and sexual orientation.
The location data ban applies to both residents and visitors. That makes it effectively a blanket prohibition on selling location data across the state, not just a rule that tracks down by zip code.
Why location data matters
Data brokers have operated a largely unregulated market in location data for years. Apps collect it, sell it to brokers, and brokers resell it to anyone with a credit card — including stalkers, advertisers, and government agencies. The FBI has confirmed it purchases commercially available location data without a warrant.
The Biden administration drafted a federal rule to restrict this. The Trump administration scrapped it in 2025.
What happens next
The House and Senate bills now go to conference to be reconciled, then to Governor Maura Healey, who is expected to sign it. No effective date has been set yet.
The ACLU called the bill a "landmark" and praised Massachusetts for positioning itself as a "leader in protecting personal privacy and curbing digital surveillance."
The pattern
This is part of a wave. Illinois, Connecticut, and New York all advanced privacy legislation in the same week in early June. Massachusetts now joins a growing list of states trying to build what the federal government has so far refused to.
Up next · Wednesday
An overview of Google's Results About You — the free tool built into your Google account that lets you find and remove your personal information from Google Search results.
Sources
Massachusetts Consumer Data Privacy Act (S.2619): https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2619