LGBTQ-rights group backs NM internet privacy law
A bill recently introduced at the Legislature designed to protect New Mexicans' data from federal scrutiny has the backing of a local LGBTQ rights group, whose executive director says such measures have heightened importance in the current political climate.
Reps. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) and Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces) introduced House Bill 307, the Internet Privacy and Safety Act, on Wednesday with the support of Equality New Mexico.
The bill specifically would regulate which entities can collect personal data from internet users, what type of data they can collect, and with whom they can share or sell the data. It would require that apps or websites only collect the data needed to provide a service, and receive a user's affirmative consent to have their data sold or traded to another entity.
This would mean apps or websites could not be forced to provide the federal government with a person's data, according to EQNM Executive Director Marshall Martinez. This data includes immigration status, racial identity, gender identity and sexual orientation.
If passed, the bill would also help prevent harmful targeted advertisements, Martinez said, like those for weight loss treatments.
'It's protecting people on the internet, protecting people's information on the internet and making sure that everybody has autonomy,' he said.
Martinez said the data regulations and improving the safety of the internet are particularly important for the LGBTQ+ community because of President Donald Trump's recent executive orders targeting transgender people.
'Locking down this data is also a way of protecting our community in New Mexico from a hostile federal government,' he said.
The bill would also require apps and websites with knowledge that a user is a minor to follow distinct rules about privacy settings. Martinez said the bill is a response to the idea that the internet is inherently dangerous and children inherently need protection.
'Everybody needs protection, and we need protection that protects everybody without restricting access,' Martinez said.
The bill was referred to the House Commerce & Economic Development Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.
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Ranger fired for hanging transgender flag in Yosemite and park visitors may face prosecution
LGBTQ issues Donald Trump Diversity and equityFacebookTweetLink Follow A Yosemite National Park ranger was fired after hanging a pride flag from El Capitan while some visitors face potential prosecution for alleged violations of protest restrictions that have been tightened under President Donald Trump. Shannon 'SJ' Joslin, a ranger and biologist who studies bats, said they hung a 66-foot wide transgender pride flag on the famous climbing wall that looms over the California park's main thoroughfare for about two hours on May 20 before taking it down voluntarily. A termination letter they received last week accused Joslin of 'failing to demonstrate acceptable conduct' in their capacity as a biologist and cited the May incident. 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The agencies 'are pursuing administrative action against several Yosemite National Park employees and possible criminal charges against several park visitors who are alleged to have violated federal laws and regulations related to demonstrations,' National Park Service spokesperson Rachel Pawlitz said. Joslin said a group of seven climbers including two other park rangers hung the flag. The other rangers are on administrative leave pending an investigation, Joslin said. Flags have long been displayed from El Capitan without consequences, said Joanna Citron Day, a former federal attorney who is now with the advocacy group Public Employees For Environmental Responsibility. She said the group is representing Joslin, but there is no pending legal case. On May 21, a day after the flag display, Acting Superintendent Ray McPadden signed a rule prohibiting people from hanging banners, flags or signs larger than 15 square feet in park areas designated as 'wilderness' or 'potential wilderness.' That covers 94% of the park, according to Yosemite's website. Parks officials said the new restriction on demonstrations was needed to preserve Yosemite's wilderness and protect climbers. 'We take the protection of the park's resources and the experience of our visitors very seriously, and will not tolerate violations of laws and regulations that impact those resources and experiences,' Pawlitz said. It followed a widely publicized instance in February of demonstrators hanging an upside down American flag on El Capitan in the wake of the firing of National Park Service employees by the Trump administration. Among the small group of climbers who helped hang the flag was Pattie Gonia, an environmentalist and drag queen who uses the performance art to raise awareness of conservation issues. For the past five years, Gonia has helped throw a Pride event in Yosemite for park employees and their allies. She said they hung the transgender flag on the granite monolith to drive home the point that being transgender is natural. Trump has limited access to gender-affirming medical treatments, banned trans women from competing in women's sports, removed trans people from the military and changed the federal definition of sex to exclude the concept of gender identity. Gonia called the firing unjust. Joslin said they hung the flag in their free time, as a private citizen. 'SJ is a respected pillar within the Yosemite community, a tireless volunteer who consistently goes above and beyond,' Gonia said. Jayson O'Neill with the advocacy group Save Our Parks said Joslin's firing appears aimed at intimidating park employees about expressing their views as the Trump administration pursues broad cuts to the federal workforce. Since Trump took office, the National Park Service has lost approximately 2,500 employees from a workforce that had about 10,000 people, Wade said. The Republican president is proposing a $900 million cut to the agency's budget next year. Pawlitz said numerous visitors complained about unauthorized demonstrations on El Capitan earlier in the year. Many parks have designated 'First Amendment areas' where groups 25 or fewer people can protest without a permit. Yosemite has several First Amendment areas, including one in Yosemite Valley, where El Capitan is located. Park service rules on demonstrations have been around for decades and withstood several court challenges, said Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers. He was not aware of any changes in how those rules are enforced under Trump.
