Press Release: 4/10/2025
Submit testimony in support of the Location Shield Act!
The deadline to submit testimony is Monday, April 14th
Right now, tech companies and data brokers are collecting and selling our location data without our knowledge or consent. That includes deeply sensitive data about where we worship, where we seek medical care, and where we live our lives. This practice is completely legal, though it clearly violates the privacy that we all value so dearly. Companies can then sell your location to high-bidding data brokers and almost anyone with a credit card, without the user's knowledge or permission.
Join Mass NOW in urging the Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet, and Cybersecurity to give a favorable report to An Act to Protect Location Privacy, which would ensure the following:
Applications are prohibited from selling, renting, trading, or leasing information to third parties or government entities without proper warrants or jurisdiction.
Applications are required to provide location disclosure agreements in a “reasonably understandable” manner that individuals with an eighth-grade reading level can understand.
Personalize your letter by introducing yourself and sharing why this issue matters to you. Here are some ideas to get started:
Talking Points:
Massachusetts has clearly stated that we will protect our trans and nonbinary communities, those seeking reproductive healthcare, and others in vulnerable situations. But without concrete location privacy protections, that promise is incomplete. Apps and data brokers can still sell information about who is accessing gender-affirming and reproductive care and where. No one should ever be tracked for seeking lifesaving medical care.
Every day in Massachusetts, survivors of domestic violence and harassment make brave decisions to protect themselves. But their safety is undermined when abusers can buy their location data. In a state where over 12,000 restraining and harassment orders are currently active, we must do more to keep survivors safe. H.86/S.197 is a step toward that safety.
Immigrants and undocumented folks—especially workers and students—are at severe risk from data surveillance. Their location data can be weaponized to detain, deport, or punish them. HB86 would raise the bar for law enforcement, requiring a warrant to access this information. In a political climate where federal authorities continue to target immigrants, this protection is urgent.
Privacy is not a fringe issue—it's a core value. According to a Beacon Research poll commissioned by the ACLU, 92% of voters in Massachusetts support banning the sale of location data. Our Commonwealth is united on this.
I urge you to support the Location Shield Act and An Act to protect safety and privacy by stopping the sale of location data, H.86 and S.197, because…
As a survivor of domestic abuse, the idea that someone could purchase my location data without my knowledge or consent is terrifying.
Working with [organization name], I see firsthand how this can affect [impacted communities]...
This bill directly impacts me because, as a woman, I am constantly calculating how to stay safe—whether I'm going for a run, heading home from work, or accessing healthcare.
This bill directly impacts me because as a trans person, just accessing essential services can be risky enough. When that information is bought and sold, it strips me of control over my own life.
This bill directly impacts me because, as a young person growing up in a digital world, my generation is constantly being tracked and most of us never even agreed to it. I shouldn't have to worry that where I hang out, go to school, or get healthcare could end up for sale.
This bill directly impacts me because…