Indivisibles ask the House TED&V committee to advance the People’s Privacy Act (HB 1671)
Email sent to the House Technology, Economic Development & Veterans committee, February 13 2025 (with the addition of one group who sent a separate letter to the committee signing on)
To: Chair Ryu, Vice-Chair Kloba, Ranking Member Barnard, and members of the House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans committee
Subject: Indivisibles ask you to advance the People’s Privacy Act (HB 1671)
As you’ve heard time and again over the years, Indivisibles across the state care passionately about the privacy of our data. It’s an issue that affects all of us, our families, and our communities in our daily lives. The People’s Privacy Act responds to real and urgent threats to Washingtonians. For example:
- At a time when the federal government is attacking LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, disabled people, and people of color, the People’s Privacy Act’s strong protections of sensitive personal data — including racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, status as transgender or nonbinary, union membership, citizenship, and immigration status — are especially important. As Fight for the Future and over 70 other civil society organizations highlighted in the letter they sent you and Governor Ferguson yesterday, bills like the People’s Privacy Act are exactly what’s needed to protect our most crucial institutions and the frontlines communities working for a better and more equitable world.
- Today, education companies collect data on America’s children and use it to target discriminatory ads. The People’s Privacy Act prevents these abuses, protect minors by prohibiting the sale of their personal data and prohibiting targeted advertising directed at children and teens.
- Insurance companies pay apps like GasBuddy millions of dollars to track driving behavior without drivers’ knowledge and use the data in automated systems that adjust rates and deny coverage. The People’s Privacy Act’s requirements for notice and consent prevent this and similar abuses.
The People’s Privacy act also aligns with the principles we outlined in our 2022 letter, by combining state enforcement with a strong private right of action — and by protecting every Washingtonian’s privacy (not just people who have good technology access and skills and the time and energy to object to their data being used) with its requirements for data minimization.
Of course lobbyists for big tech companies who make money by exploiting your constituents’ data oppose this bill. Please stand up to their lobbying and resist efforts to weaken the bill. Instead, please look for opportunities to strengthen it — for example by making it completely opt-in, instead of the current mix of opt-in and opt-out. And most importantly, please advance the People’s Privacy Act at your executive session on Friday, and work with your colleagues in to ensure the legislature passes it!
Signed,
(in progress)
Indivisible Whidbey
North Kitsap Indivisible
Indivisible Skagit
Snohomish County Indivisible
Indivisible Bellingham
Indivisible Eastside
Olympia Indivisible
Indivisible South Puget Sound
Indivisible Washington’s 8th District
Indivisible Renton
Wallingford Indivisible
Concordia
Indivisible Plus Washington
Indivisible Vashon
