What do you make of Delaware’s HB 262 on data brokers and consumer protection?

Editor’s note: This story first appeared as a newsletter alongside a roundup of Technical.ly’s best Delaware reporting from the week, job openings and more. Subscribe here to get updates on Delaware tech, business and innovation news in your inbox on Thursdays.

One facet of cybersecurity that is sometimes sidelined by the more thriller-esque cybercrimes like ransomware attacks is consumer privacy.

We all know — or should know — that our personal data is shared when we log into a social media application or click on an ad. And while some consumers are resigned to that risk, others want to know exactly what data may be shared before engaging with a company.

Delaware House Bill 262 was introduced in June 2021, and just last week was voted out of committee and placed on the Ready List. The act seeks to amend title 6 of the Delaware Code, which relates to data brokers and consumer protection.

Simply put, any entity, including individuals, that collects and sells personal data would be required to register with the Consumer Protection Unit of the Department of Justice and answer questions regarding their use of that data, which would be published online to inform consumers.

This would allow you, as a consumer, to search entities online and compare based on how they use personal data.

Not everyone is in favor of such transparency. The State Chamber of Commerce, Delaware Business Roundtable, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, Delaware Restaurant Association and others oppose HB 262. They’re arguing that, since there have been no complaints about companies buying and selling personal information over the last decades, that there is no problem that needs fixing by requiring companies to register and publicize if they sell personal data. There is also a question of whether the bill would squash innovation in Delaware.

Where do you stand on HB 262? Does the legislation go too far? Is it redundant when companies should have publicly accessible privacy policies anyway? And would you, as a consumer, use a website that allowed you to search businesses to see if they sell personal data? Let us know at delaware@technical.ly or in the #delaware channel of Technical.ly’s Slack.

Also of note this week:

• University of Delaware’s graduating class of 2022 will have its commencement address delivered by alum President Joe Biden on May 28. It will be a ticketed event open only to graduating students and their guests.
• Also, interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2022 Entrepreneurial Summit and Swim with the Sharks Pitch Competition? Reach out to Program Manager Jeremy Hebbel at HebbelJ@ncccc.com.

Upcoming Delaware events

• Great Dames’ THRIVE! 2022 Powerful Conversations Virtual Series: “Stop the Judgment!” will be moderated by Dame Maria Hess and focus on how “buying into criticism inhibits our ability to thrive.” Catch it Tuesday, April 26, at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom, featuring panelists Hess and Tynetta Brown.
• The DANA 2022 IMPACT Delaware Annual Conference, happening Wednesday, April 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., will celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit and discuss failure as a means for innovation.
• The free New Castle County Open for Business conference is happening Wednesday, April 27, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce in Wilmington. There, you can meet with representatives who provide a range of services that help startups grow. Registration is required.
• Registration is open for the free prevention-focused, resilience-building 2022 Delaware Building Bridges Virtual Conference, hosted by the Delaware Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services and Delaware Afterschool Network. This free virtual conference will run April 27 and 28 with full days of workshops and activities.
• On April 28 at 1 p.m., continue your DEI training with the in-person event The “WIIFM” (what’s in it for me?) of Cultural Inclusion in the Workspace at the Emerging Enterprise Center. Registration is required.
• This year’s TEDxWilmington event on April 30 at Theatre N in Wilmington is shaping up to be a huge event, running from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and featuring 25 speakers coming from more than 10 states and countries.
• DelawareBio’s May BioBreakfast is back in person on Thursday, May 5, at CRISP — that’s the Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park — from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Mike Wojewodka, EVP of MRA Group, will speak on the exciting development plans for the CRISP site.
• The 2022 Delaware Chamber Leadership series also kicks off on May 5 at 7:30 a.m. at the University and Whist Club in Wilmington with Doneene Damon, the first Black woman president of Delaware law firm Richards, Layton & Finger.
• Philly Tech Week presented by Comcast 2022 — which, as always, is not just for Philadelphians — returns this May. Technical.ly’s Developers Conference, our annual “tasting menu” of trending technical topics and real-world deployments, will get a hybrid twist on May 10. Then join entrepreneurs, HR pros and other company culture and tech ecosystem leaders to build better companies at Introduced by Technical.ly on May 12.
• The inaugural Stern Healthcare Workforce Summit will open up the conversation around the future of healthcare delivery and the healthcare workforce on May 17 at the STAR campus in Newark.
• The Bellefonte Arts Festival is back on May 21. The cornerstone event of artist collective Bellefonte Arts has brought local art to the Town of Bellefonte since 2009.

Power Moves

• Gov. John Carney has announced that Jonathan Starkey, deputy chief of staff for communications, will leave the Office of the Governor early next month to join Newark-based private student lender Sallie Mae as director of corporate communications.
• Emily David Hershman, currently the director of engagement and special projects, will take on the role of director of communications and serve as the Office of the Governor’s main point of contact for the media.
• Jessica Borcky Weinberg, currently the deputy communications director and digital director, will take on the new role of director of digital government and senior advisor to the governor.