On May 22, 2018, Vermont passed a new data broker piece of legislation, Act No. 171 (H.764), which adopts a number of consumer protection provisions relating to data brokers, their data collection practices, and consumers’ right to opt out of them. It ensures that data brokers have adequate security standards, it aims at prohibiting the acquisition of personal information through fraudulent means or with the intent to commit wrongful acts, and requires data brokers’ annual registration.
The new law removes financial barriers to protect consumer credit information and creates a new set of definitions.
The act provides for multiple effective dates, for example, provisions prohibiting credit reporting agencies from imposing a fee for implementing a credit freeze took effect on May 22, 2018. The brokers’ duty of registration and related data security provisions will take effect starting January 1, 2019.
Act No. 171 (H.764) is available at https://legislature.vermont.gov…
Originally published on Technethics on August 2018