Minnesota’s new consumer data tracking protections start July 31

Minnesotans will have more privacy protections for their online evidence under a new law set to take effect on Thursday The Consumer Details Privacy Act will give people in the state the right to opt out of businesses tracking personal information like names email addresses or location history for use in targeted marketing Traits like ethnicity and sexuality also are covered by the law The law grants consumers the right to obtain personal records held by a company and a list of other companies that bought the information Consumers also can ask businesses to delete details or request that the business edit inaccuracies A growing number of states have introduced consumer information protection laws as input collection has become increasingly pervasive Generating information Targeted advertisements based on a phone s location or a user s shopping history are just one facet of personal records collection Newer cars and even specific home appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators now connect to the internet potentially giving outsiders information about a person s habits A typical person generates about gigabytes of statistics a day the equivalent of photos on a phone announced Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison It can come from everything from fitness apps to social media browsing We cannot and should not just think that violations and invasions of our privacy are just the way it is in this modern time Ellison announced as he briefed reporters on the law Monday at the state Capitol We have a right to our privacy and we have to protect it Businesses have to comply with the law if they control or process the personal information of or more Minnesota residents or if they earn more than of their revenue from the sale of personal input and handle consumers content For the first six months the law is in effect businesses will have days to correct violations after notification by the attorney general If you re not paying anything for the product you are the product Minnesota is now one of states to adopt a consumer material privacy law While certain companies are critical of what they call a patchwork of privacy laws bill sponsor Rep Steve Elkins DFL-Bloomington noted the lack of federal action on the issue demanded action from the states Elkins who has worked for the past years in facts management commented free applications like weather apps often harvest material from users such as location history and sell it to third parties There s an adage in the system industry he reported If you re not paying anything for the product you are the product Supporters say it will help empower consumers to question data-driven decision-making by businesses on jobs housing and insurance similar to how they can request material on their credit scores Protections under the law Minnesota s law has a few advantages over others including the right to question a company s decision to deny a arrangement Elkins mentioned For example a property company will not be able to deny a tenant s rental application and refuse to disclose evidence that may have helped them arrive at that decision merely because it is proprietary Other protections include a requirement for businesses to get permission from a parent or guardian before selling information of consumers under the age of Consumers can question the results of automated decisions made about their records Businesses have days to respond to requests for information Evidence on a consumer s ethnicity race religion wellbeing sexuality and genetic information also is protected under the new law Opt-out requirement Specific online platforms already give users the option to opt out of information sharing for targeted advertisements including the search engine DuckDuckGo and the browser Mozilla Firefox Elkins declared When the personal content law takes effect on Thursday there will be a universal opt-out requirement Companies like Apple and Microsoft are generally in favor of third-party records selling restrictions and most of resistance comes from input broker companies Elkins mentioned In a state lobbyist for Microsoft approached Elkins about sponsoring a records privacy bill To help acquaint Minnesotans with the new consumer protections the attorney general s office has launched a new website privacymn com Materials include drafts of letters consumers can use to assert their rights and guidance on how to analysis violations of the new law It also offers guidance on how to set up opt-out mechanisms Complaints can be filed with the attorney general at - - Related Articles Vadnais Heights senator requests independent review of Capitol measure alerts Divided regime means high stakes for Woodbury special ballot Man with mental fitness issues discovered naked in Minnesota Capitol raising new protection concerns Minnesota lawmakers can draw additional state funds for protection costs State Sen Nicole Mitchell resigns from office after felony convictions