EPIC writes in support of S.B. 338, a bill that amends the Virginia Consumer Data Privacy Act to ban the sale of precise geolocation data. By banning the sale of precise geolocation data, S.B. 338 would put a stop to some of the most harmful abuses of our personal data happening today. Please see the attachment for details on how precise geolocation data is collected, the harms from that overcollection, and how other states have addressed this issue.

The undersigned organizations write in strong support of S.B. 338, legislation that would ban the sale of consumers’ precise geolocation information. Geolocation can be incredibly useful for pro-consumer applications such as turn-by-turn directions and finding a nearby restaurant; however, all too often this information is secretly collected and shared by dozens if not hundreds of ad networks and data brokers with whom consumers have no relationship or even awareness. This bill will provide straightforward, powerful, and critically important protections for the privacy, autonomy, and physical safety of Virginians while still giving advertisers plenty of leeway to reach customers.

I oppose data centers that are costly for everyone in our state. Many of us rather have fresh water and farm land than use up technology development. Democrats and socialists are forcing us to pay more taxes so they can redistribute it to other people and have more government subsidies. These policies are wasteful and not affordable policies. Spanberger and the majority of democrats do not care about putting Virginia citizens first. We don’t want to be California, Illinois, or any socialist state.