Jul 11, 2023 15:03:00

The enactment of a law prohibiting the trading of location information collected from smartphones will proceed in the United States, and if it is passed, it will be the first law in Japan to limit location information trading

Location information services on smartphones are very convenient services in our lives, but some technology companies sell the user's location information collected on apps to third parties, and the market size is estimated. It is said to be as

high as 16 billion dollars (about 2.25 trillion yen). In order to protect the digital privacy of its residents, the state of Massachusetts in the United States is enacting a law prohibiting the sale of location information collected from the user's device.

An Act protecting reproductive health access, LGBTQ lives, religious liberty, and freedom of movement by banning the sale of cell phone location information
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/S148

Selling Your Cellphone Location Data Might Soon Be Banned in US for First Time - WSJ

https://www.wsj.com/articles/first-us-ban-on-sale-of-cellphone-location-data-might-be-coming-fbe47e53

This could be the first state to ban selling cell phone location data

https://www.fastcompany.com/90921301/massachusetts-considers-ban-cellphone-location-data

Massachusetts weighs outright ban on selling user location data | Engadget
https://www.engadget.com/massachusetts-weighs-outright-ban-on-selling-user-location-data-191637974.html

Location information collected through mobile apps and other digital services generally does not include information such as the user's name or phone number. However, in many cases, continuous location acquisition can easily derive a user's address and identity. As such, location trading is a concern from a digital privacy standpoint.

The bill under discussion in the Massachusetts legislature, also known as the 'Location Shield Act,' would prohibit location brokers from providing location information about anyone in the state without court authorization. Also, law enforcement must obtain a warrant to access your location.

Violations of this law expose app providers to legal action from the Massachusetts Attorney General as well as civil lawsuits from individuals.

Until now, there were no laws restricting the sale of location information in the United States, making the trading of location information collected from smartphones a completely legal business. If the Location Shield Act is passed, Massachusetts will become the first state to ban the sale of location information.

On the other hand,

the National Privacy Security Coalition (SPSC), an industry group, has opposed the Location Shield Act, and SPSC lawyer Andrew Kingman said, ``The term sales is too diverse. 'We should allow users the right to opt out of the market for location information collected on their devices.' Rather than banning the trading of location information, it is required to ensure the revenue of data brokers by making it user-selectable.

The Massachusetts legislature is in session until 2024, but the Location Shield Act has received a lot of support in the state and is likely to pass.