Tech companies openly admit we are entering a new phase of AI-powered surveillance. One billionaire tech founder claims AI will be “constantly watching and recording” every action through ubiquitous body and doorbell cams. The AI race has only accelerated industry’s lust for our data — because captains of industry believe they need more and more data about us to train their AI models. And the longer we allow the unfettered collection of our personal information, the less we will be able to do about it, and the more likely we will become acclimated and resigned to the false idea that we don’t want or deserve digital privacy or freedom.
We have little hope the current administration will protect us. The Trump White House’s executive order on AI explicitly embraces the fallacy that “To win [the battle for AI ‘supremacy’], United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation.” But lawmakers in Massachusetts recognize just how much privacy we have lost and what is necessary to claw it back. In September, the Senate unanimously passed the Massachusetts Data Privacy Act (MDPA), which would limit data abuse and ban the sale of our sensitive data. The House is currently considering its own version, the Massachusetts Consumer Data Privacy Act (MCDPA), which, if passed, would be the most privacy protective state privacy law in the country. Its privacy protections would also foster a vibrant and sustainable online marketplace by giving us meaningful choices as consumers and rewarding businesses for being trustworthy stewards of our data.
- Date Published:3.4.2026
- Original Publication: WBUR