A bill has been filed to protect Rhode Islanders online privacy.
Warwick Representative Evan Shanley's legislation targets online service providers and commercial web sites that collect and sell personally identifiable information.
“Everybody has a fundamental right to privacy,” said Representative Shanley. “Whenever you enter your information on a website, you should know if the administrators of that site are taking that information and selling it. If they are, then they should say so by posting it in an obvious and visible place on their home page and give you an opportunity to opt out. It is imperative that consumers understand how their information — especially information relating to their children — is shared by businesses.”
They would be required to disclose what categories of information they collect and to what third parties they sell the information.
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Innovation, Internet and Technology.
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