Maine governor signs strict privacy bill

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed into law one of the strongest privacy bills in the country on Thursday, banning internet service providers (ISP) from using, selling, or distributing consumer data without their consent.

Maine is one of the first states to take this step after California passed its own stringent privacy law last year, setting off a flurry of industry lobbying and accolades from privacy activists.

Maine’s law is geared towards ISPs such as AT&T and Spectrum, while California’s also applies to tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook. The law passed amid pushback from the top ISPs.

The Act to Protect the Privacy of Online Consumer Information would prohibit any ISPs in Maine from refusing to serve a customer, penalizing them, or offering a discount in order to pressure consumers into allowing the ISP to sell their data. The law will take effect on July 1.

Mills described the new law as “common sense,” adding that “Maine people value their privacy, online and off.”

“The internet is a powerful tool, and as it becomes increasingly intertwined with our lives, it is appropriate to take steps to protect the personal information and privacy of Maine people,” Mills said in a statement. “With this common-sense law, Maine people can access the internet with the knowledge and comfort that their personal information cannot be bought or sold by their ISPs without their express approval.”

The bill was approved unanimously last week by the Maine Senate, and was sponsored by Maine State Sen. Shenna Bellows (D). Bellows said in a statement that “this law makes Maine first in the nation in protecting consumer data online.”

Bellows has said previously that she is planning to introduce an Internet privacy bill in the next session that would also target companies including Google and Facebook.