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Cameron Hinkley has served as a town manager in Maine since 2022. The views expressed in this column are his own and do not represent the views or official position of the municipality that he serves. 

Recently I found myself venturing down a rabbit hole researching consumer data privacy in Maine. What began as an attempt to “opt-out” of a few commercial data brokers’ websites, all of which publicly displayed my own personal data — home address, phone number, date of birth — led me to a very frustrating conclusion.

What I inevitably discovered was that the Maine Legislature has failed Maine residents time and time again on this issue. Not over a disagreement that we should have privacy rights, but rather how we get there.

In 2025, LD 1088, the Maine Consumer Data Privacy Act, failed 77-70 in the House, primarily along party lines. Democrats killed it with the help of three Republicans, an independent and an unenrolled representative.

Only one Democrat, Rep. Tiffany Roberts, voted against killing the bill. The Senate then considered the same Ought Not to Pass report, and Democrats, along party lines and with the assistance of one unenrolled senator, voted in favor of killing the bill while 14 Republicans voted to keep it alive.

Fast forward to 2026, LD 1822, the Maine Online Data Privacy Act, survived multiple House votes. On March 26, 2026, the House voted 74-70 to pass the amended bill to be engrossed, with the Senate also voting 18-14 to enact LD 1822 on April 6, 2026. Unfortunately, the bill inevitably failed during final enactment in the House, 79-70, primarily along party lines. Republicans killed it with the help of seven Democrats and one unenrolled representative.

The basic principle of both bills was that Maine consumers deserve the ultimate authority over the personal information that businesses collect, use and sell about them. It’s a commonsense idea that ultimately has been crushed by partisan politics on both sides.

As a result, Mainers are left with no real legal protection against the sale and distribution of their personal information. Companies continue to profit from the sale of your personal information. If you try to “opt-out” of each of them individually, you may find yourself in receipt of a response that states, “You live in a state that does not have a comprehensive consumer privacy law that applies to our data. Because of this, we are not able to process the request at this time.”

Neither party solely carries the blame for this failure of action. Instead, the state’s partisan system is so toxic that compromise and common sense seemingly cannot coexist. It’s time for our elected officials to step back, take a breath and look at the big picture. Members of the Legislature have already demonstrated that they agree that Mainers deserve a right to delete their personal information. Now work together to at least establish that right against commercial data brokers. 

The status quo is no longer an option. Privacy isn’t a luxury that should be bought, but rather a fundamental right that must be protected under the law. Our data is being tracked, stored and sold without our consent. I urge Mainers to contact their representatives and senators immediately. Demand an end to the gridlock and a viable solution that puts the power back in the hands of everyday Mainers.