• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Digital News Updates
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business

Montana adds stronger privacy protections

May 31, 2023

Efforts to pass privacy legislation at the state level are intensifying as progress on the issue remains stagnant at the federal level. Montana recently became the latest state to enact its own privacy law, with Governor Greg Gianforte signing SB 384 into law on May 19. Advocates claim that Montana’s privacy law is one of the strongest to be passed in a Republican-controlled state. The legislation, introduced by Montana State Senator Daniel Zolnikov, includes a universal opt-out provision, allowing individuals to choose not to be tracked online. This provision has faced opposition from companies seeking verification and additional steps to avoid the opt-out.

Zolnikov based Montana’s bill on a similar one passed in Connecticut last year, which established default browser settings for opt-out preferences, making it difficult for companies to bypass consumer data protection measures. Matt Schwartz, a policy analyst at Consumer Reports, commended Montana’s law for granting consumers the right to access, delete, and halt the sale of their personal information. The bill also addresses the use of “dark patterns,” deceptive tactics employed to obtain consent, and sets a deadline for companies to rectify privacy violations. The law is slated to take effect on October 1, 2024.

Montana joins California, Colorado, and Connecticut as states that have enacted consumer-friendly data privacy legislation. However, not all states have been successful in passing robust privacy bills. Tennessee recently signed a privacy law criticized for containing loopholes that exempted pseudonymous information like online cookies from consumer rights. While Texas has passed versions of privacy bills in its House and Senate, the inclusion of a universal opt-out provision in the Senate version has created uncertainty regarding the final effectiveness of the law.

READ MORE

Filed Under: Home Featured, News

Related Articles:

  • Montana Attorney General Launches Investigation into Lee Enterprises Following Cyberattack
  • Sheehy Introduces Legislation to Compensate Service Members Discharged Over COVID Vaccine Mandate
  • Gianforte Praises Supreme Court Ruling
  • Trump’s Job Approval Hits 53%
  • Gianforte Appoints Marta Bertoglio as Department of Commerce Director

Primary Sidebar

Digital News Updates Logo

Recent News Posts

  • North Dakota to Celebrate Grand Opening of Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
  • Montana Attorney General Launches Investigation into Lee Enterprises Following Cyberattack
  • VA slams Democrat governor for falsely claiming vets could be denied care
  • Montana State names 2025 presidential scholars

Recent Politics Posts

  • Gianforte Praises Supreme Court Ruling
  • Zinke Urges Interior Secretary to Act on Projected Low Flathead Lake Levels
  • Senator Daines Leads Bipartisan Push to Celebrate “Great Outdoors Month”
  • Sheehy Introduces Legislation to Compensate Service Members Discharged Over COVID Vaccine Mandate

Recent Business Posts

  • Bridger Aerospace Welcomes Executive Order to Reshape Wildland Firefighting
  • Gianforte Appoints Marta Bertoglio as Department of Commerce Director
  • Daktronics to Announce Q4 and Fiscal 2025 Results on June 25
  • Performance Engineering Earns National Honors

Copyright © 2025 Digital News Updates, All Rights Reserved.