Data Privacy Bill Worries Chamber Of Commerce, Small Business Owners

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Online Data Privacy Act of 2024, a proposed bill that would affect data collection and online privacy, has already passed the Senate and is being considered in the House of Delegates. The Maryland Chamber of Commerce and several small businesses testified against this legislation with their concerns.

“We operate completely online. Digital ads are one of the primary ways we find new customers, grow our business, and compete with national brands, said T|W Tote owners Sherika and Shallon. “We believe in protecting people’s privacy, but worry the Maryland Online Privacy Act will over-regulate online data collection and use, making it more difficult and expensive for our business to advertise. We urge the Maryland legislature to reconsider this bill to minimize the impact on small businesses like ours.”

Some of the concerns noted by the Chamber during their testimony were aligning the definitions and requirements with neighboring states, ensuring that the Office of the Attorney General has sole enforcement responsibility, removing the requirement for permission to use personalized marketing techniques, and extending the date for compliance. The bill’s fiscal note states that this would have a meaningful impact on small businesses, particularly those based on data usage. 

“The Maryland Chamber of Commerce and its members place a high priority on consumer privacy and believe that privacy laws should provide strong safeguards for consumers but also balance the need for industry to innovate,” stated their testimony. “The Chamber recognizes the work and collaboration that have gone into writing SB 541 compared to iterations of past years.” 

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