Virginia bans sale of geolocation data
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a law banning the sale of geolocation data, effective July 1, 2026.
The law amends the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) to prohibit the sale of geolocation data. Unlike Maryland and Oregon, the VCDPA narrowly defines "sale" as "the exchange of personal data for monetary consideration by the controller to a third party." Virginia joins other states with similar proposed bans, including California, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Washington. The legislative activity follows the California Attorney General's 2025 investigation into the location data industry and a 2024 FTC settlement banning a data broker from selling such data.
What commenters are saying
The thread widely supports the ban, with commenters criticizing the collection and sale of location data as an exploitative business model and noting its use by car insurance companies and anti-abortion advertising campaigns. Some question enforcement across state lines, especially for companies operating servers in Virginia. One comment highlights a loophole where devices like Flock cameras are sold at high cost with "free" data access to dodge sale restrictions.