New Jersey Lawmakers Face Pressure Over Data Privacy Measure Impacting Political Data Brokers
New Jersey lawmakers are under scrutiny from political data brokers and industry groups regarding a recently enacted data privacy measure. Signed into law in July, the legislation has created the most expensive state data broker registry in the U.S. and expanded liability for penalties. While proponents argue the law protects consumers and holds tech giants accountable, political data brokers express concern that it poses an existential threat to their operations in New Jersey. The measure introduces steep annual registration fees, ranging from $5,000 to $1.5 million, depending on the volume of data acquired. Additionally, it imposes significant fines, up to $50,000 per record, for unlawfully selling demographic data such as age, ethnicity, race, or religion. With over 6.7 million registered voters in the state, this could lead to billions of dollars in potential liability for brokers. Industry representatives believe lawmakers may have overlooked the consequences for political data in their haste to pass ...
