JALSA Submits Testimony in Support of the Location Shield Act

June 26, 2023

Dear Chairs Cronin and Chan:

The Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA) is a membership-based non-profit organization based in Boston, with thousands of members and supporters statewide. Guided by Jewish teachings and values, we are devoted to the defense of civil rights, the preservation of constitutional liberties, and the passionate pursuit of social, economic, racial, and environmental justice for all people.

JALSA wishes to offer its testimony in strong support of S.148 / H 357, An Act protecting reproductive health access, LGBTQ lives, religious liberty, and freedom of movement by banning the sale of cell phone location information, known concisely as The Location Shield Act.

We know that unscrupulous and unregulated data brokers currently routinely buy and sell personal location data from apps on our cellphones, revealing much about us without our knowledge. I’d like to highlight instances of particular alarm that would be addressed by The Location Shield Act.

It has been thoroughly reported that, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision destructively overturning Roe v. Wade, these data brokers have continued to traffic in data pertaining to sensitive locations, including abortion clinics and other medical facilities. Frankly, this is such a deeply profound violation of privacy that it shocks the conscience that it has ever been legal. This harvesting of such private information puts those who both seek and provide healthcare at risk of harassment, prosecution, and violence.

Additionally, we are now living in a time of heightened hatred and bigotry. Indeed, just one month ago, the Anti-Defamation League released its “Hate in the Bay State” report on extremism and antisemitism in Massachusetts in 2021 and 2022. Among a host of alarming information, the report noted that the number of antisemitic incidents increased by 41%, the number of instances of white supremacist propaganda being distributed increased by 71%, and the number of hate crimes increased by 33%.

These data brokers are not the only entities who procure, use, and abuse personal location data. Anybody, from domestic abusers to unscrupulous employers to hostile foreign governments can procure this data – as can bigots seeking to perpetrate hate crimes driven by antisemitism or any other form of hatred. Imagine a white supremacist group buying the location data for those who enter a synagogue, a mosque, a predominantly Black church, or any other place of worship that serves a community that could be targeted by those who are looking to target violent acts. Failure to address this via The Location Shield Act, when we have the means to protect people, is irresponsible and could lead to tragedy.

The voters who elected you have entrusted you to enact laws that protect people in our Commonwealth. I can think of no better example to show them that you deserve to hold your positions than to enact this bill. In doing so, you may be preventing the next tragedy from taking place here in our state.

JALSA strongly urges the members of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure to report S. 148 / H. 357, The Location Shield Act, favorably out of committee as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Cindy Rowe
Executive Director
Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action