ICYMI: Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell Tweets in Support of Banning the Sale of Cellphone Location Data in Massachusetts

ICYMI – Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell yesterday tweeted in support of banning the sale of cellphone location data in Massachusetts.

Our cellphones keep track of where we go, every minute of every day, revealing the most sensitive and intimate things about us. Data brokers are allowed to buy this information and sell it to anyone with a credit card. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, journalists found that data brokers have already bought, repackaged, and sold the location data of people visiting abortion clinics. 

Attorney General Campbell also highlighted that cellphone location data can be sold to people seeking to cause harm, such as domestic violence or stalking, bias-motivated violence or harassment, or threats to public safety officers or government security.

“We are thrilled to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Attorney General Campbell to call for banning the sale of cellphone location data and protecting the privacy and safety of all people,” said Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “Every day, companies collect and sell sensitive location information from cellphones, revealing where people live, work, seek health care, and more. Anyone can buy this data – anti-abortion extremists, anti-LGBTQ organizations, foreign governments, and more – and use it to harm us.”

“In a post-Roe America, Massachusetts must take every step possible to ensure that bounty hunters and other anti-abortion extremists cannot purchase personal cellphone location data and use it to target people seeking or providing lawful abortion care in our state. We’re proud to stand with Attorney General Campbell in calling for a ban on the sale of cell phone location data and we’re grateful that the Attorney General is using her office to ensure that abortion providers’ and patients’ personal location information never ends up in the wrong hands,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, President of Reproductive Equity Now. 

“By stopping the sale of location data, we can safeguard the privacy and security of abortion providers and give patients greater confidence that their medical decisions will remain safely between them and their doctor,” said Nate Horwitz-Willis, Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts. “We’re grateful to have Attorney General Campbell’s steadfast support for protection abortion providers and patients.”

According to an ACLU/Beacon Research poll, 92 percent (92%) of Massachusetts voters support banning the sale of cellphone location data. Legislation to prohibit companies from engaging in this predatory practice, while still allowing them to collect and process this data for legitimate purposes with user consent, is pending before the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.

In June, the ACLU, Reproductive Equity Now, and Planned Parenthood launched “Your Location: It’s None of Their Business,” a campaign calling on lawmakers to ban the sale of cellphone location data. The campaign is supported by over 40 organizations, including AFL-CIO, Anti-Defamation League New England, Jane Doe Inc., TransHealth, and more. 

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