State lawmakers are hoping this session to establish a comprehensive data privacy law after several years in which proposals failed. State leaders will seek to balance companies’ desire to access data to propel innovation with their constituents’ desires for online privacy. Maryland’s data privacy proposal includes guidelines for how organizations collect, process and store personal data to help prevent unauthorized access, identity theft and other cyber threats. Companies would only be permitted to collect data necessary and relevant to a specific product, and consumers would have the right to know what data is being collected and with whom it is being shared or sold.
Legislative priority: The Maryland Chamber supports a comprehensive approach to data privacy, enforced by Maryland’s Attorney General, keeping in mind policies already adopted by neighboring states. Avoiding a patchwork of laws provides a clear set of rules for businesses, no matter their location.
