Jeffrey C. Mays reports:
Telecommunications firms and mobile-based apps make billions of dollars per year by selling customer location data to marketers and other businesses, offering a vast window into the whereabouts of cellphone and app users, often without their knowledge.
Read more on The New York Times.
Citing the NYT article, Crain’s New York Business reports:
The bill would limit cell companies and apps to sharing location data only in situations where they were “providing a service explicitly requested” by the customer, according to the Times. The law would include an exception for information legally supplied to law enforcement, emergency responders and in situations where customers knowingly provide location data. Otherwise, apps and other companies could face fines ranging from $1,000 per violation to $10,000 per day for multiple violations.
The bill, Int 1632-2019, was introduced by Council member Justin Brannan today and is in the Committee of Technology. You can find the bill text and additional information on the bill here.