R.I. House Panel Clears Privacy Bill Changes

Rhode Island state legislators revised a comprehensive privacy bill at a hearing Thursday. The House Innovation Internet and Technology Committee voted 9-0 to recommend passage of a substitute to H-7787. The “biggest change” in the update accepted by the committee “is that we’re creating two classifications” of regulated entities, sponsor Rep. Evan Shanley (D) said during the livestreamed hearing. Any entity subject to Rhode Island jurisdiction that collects, stores and sells personally identifiable information would have to disclose on its website the categories of information collected and the entities to whom they have sold or may sell the data. Meanwhile, for larger companies that control or process data of at least 35,000 customers or do so for at least 10,000 while deriving more than 20% of profits from the sale of personally identifiable information, customers would have a right to know what data has been collected about them and opt out of such collection. Other changes are meant to harmonize the bill with other states’ privacy laws, Shanley said.