Your location data is being sold, and most people have no idea. Carrying your phone means apps can track where you sleep, work, worship and seek healthcare. That information can then be packaged and sold to third parties. Massachusetts has a chance to stop this practice through the Location Shield Act, and lawmakers should act now.

The Location Shield Act, part of the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act (H.4746, S.2619), would limit how companies collect, use and sell precise geolocation data. It would also restrict companies from transferring that data to outside parties without meaningful consent. In simple terms, it stops businesses from turning your daily movements into a product.

This matters because location data reveals far more than people realize. It can expose visits to domestic violence shelters, immigration attorneys, addiction treatment centers or reproductive health clinics. That is not harmless data. It is a map of someone’s most vulnerable moments. Once that information is sold, there is no way to take it back. This danger is not theoretical. Data brokers have reportedly sold location information that has been used by law enforcement agencies, including immigration and customs enforcement, to track people. In another case, location data was used to identify and expose gay clergy members through patterns of movement. When private data is for sale, it does not stay in safe hands for long.

Supporters of the current system — which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the Department of Housing and Security — often claim users “consent” to this tracking, but no one meaningfully agrees to a 40-page privacy policy just to download an app. Clicking “accept” is not informed consent — it is a requirement for participating in modern life. Opponents of the act may also argue that data sharing helps businesses operate efficiently or improve services, but companies do not need to sell your exact movements to function. Many businesses already operate responsibly without trafficking in sensitive data. The bill also includes practical protections for smaller businesses, showing that privacy rules and economic growth can exist together.

While this issue affects everyone, some people face greater consequences. Survivors of abuse, undocumented immigrants and patients seeking care all depend on the ability to move through the world without being tracked. Privacy is not about hiding wrongdoing. It is about safety, dignity and control over your own life.

Massachusetts is at a critical moment in time. The Location Shield Act is now in the House Committee on Ways and Means, where it can either move forward or quietly stall. Legislators should vote favorably and send this bill to the floor without delay. But lawmakers rarely act without pressure. Constituents should be calling, emailing and urging their representatives to support the Location Shield Act. Privacy will not protect itself — we have to demand it.

Your location data should not be for sale. Not to the highest bidder and not to anyone. Massachusetts legislators must act now, and the public must make sure they do.