Virginia Bans the Sale of Geolocation Data Without User Consent

The state of Virginia has introduced a legislative ban on the sale of users' geolocation data. The corresponding amendments are aimed at curbing the practice of transferring and commercially distributing information about people's whereabouts without proper consent.

Geolocation data has traditionally been collected by mobile apps, advertising networks and data brokers, which then resell it to third parties — marketers, analytics companies and other interested organizations. This practice has long drawn criticism from civil rights advocates and privacy specialists, since data about a person's movements can reveal sensitive information about their everyday life, habits and the places they visit.

The news of the ban resonated strongly within the tech community: the post on Hacker News racked up 697 points and 117 comments, a sign of the high level of interest in the topic of regulating the handling of personal data.

Virginia joins the ranks of U.S. states tightening control over the handling of location data amid growing concern about privacy issues in the digital age. Initiatives like these reflect a broader trend toward stronger regulation of the data broker industry at the level of individual U.S. states in the absence of a single federal law on the protection of personal data.

Source: Hacker News