March 4, 2020
Carson City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D.
Ford encourages all Nevadans to proactively protect their personal information.
The best way to secure this information is by limiting the amount of
information you share voluntarily. Consumers of all ages volunteer personal
information on various social media platforms, including birthdays, addresses,
telephone numbers, email usernames, employment history, driver’s license
numbers, recent photographs, and the names and personal information of friends
and family members. The more information that is publicly available increases
your risk falling victim to fraud and identity theft.
“Even experienced consumers should consistently
reevaluate their online habits, and our youngest consumers should start
developing good habits,” said AG Ford. “We have many tools available to
us that should be used, including changing our passwords and a recently passed law
that allows consumers to opt out of the sale of their personal information.”
During the 2017 Legislative Session, several
laws were passed promoting transparency in the types of personal information being
collected by certain “operators,” including most online businesses, and with
whom that information could be shared. This Session, Senate Bill 220 (codified
in NRS chapter 603A) was passed to build on that transparency, requiring those
operators to establish a designated address through which consumers can submit
a verified request to opt out of the sale of their personal information. The
request applies to certain categories of information the operator has
previously collected or will collect about the consumer.
Specifically, Nevadans may opt out of the
sale of their:
- Home address,
including the name of a street and name of a city or town;
- Other identifier
that allows a specific person to be contacted in-person or online; and
- Other information
collected from them through the Internet website or online service of the
operator, which the operator maintains.
It is important to note that not all
transactions qualify as “sales” of personal information. Exceptions include
personal information that is transferred in the course of a business sale or merger,
and information that is transferred by the operator to its business partners or
third-party vendors upon whom it relies to provide the purchased goods or
services.
When submitting a verified request, the
designated address can be an email address, toll-free telephone number or Internet
website established by the operator.
Once a consumer submits a verified request, the operator has 60 days to
respond. Once the operator receives the request, it cannot sell any covered
information it has collected or will collect about that consumer.
If an operator violates the laws governing
collection and sale of personal information, the law allows the Office of the
Nevada Attorney General to seek relief and penalties. If you believe an
operator doing business in Nevada is neglecting its duties or fails to respond
to a verified request regarding the collection or sale of personal information,
you may
file a complaint with our office here.
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