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HB 5032

Prevention of data center collection of citizen data

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Chris Anders and 4 co-sponsors

HB 5032 restricts West Virginia data centers from collecting citizen personal data without explicit consent, aiming to enhance privacy protections but risking economic impacts and enforcement challenges.

To House Judiciary
#consumerprotection #publicsafety
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Bill Summary · HB 5032

Legislative bill overview

HB 5032 seeks to restrict or prohibit data centers operating in West Virginia from collecting, storing, or processing personal data on state citizens without explicit consent. The bill appears designed to establish privacy protections and limit the scope of data aggregation by commercial data center operations within the state.

Why is this important

Data centers increasingly accumulate vast amounts of personal information, which raises concerns about privacy, surveillance, and data misuse. This bill addresses growing public anxiety about corporate data collection practices and attempts to give West Virginia residents more control over their personal information within the state's jurisdiction.

Potential points of contention

  • Economic impact: Restrictions on data center operations could deter investment and job creation in the technology sector, potentially harming the state's economic development efforts
  • Definitional ambiguity: The bill may struggle to clearly define what constitutes "collection" versus incidental data processing, creating compliance uncertainty for legitimate business operations
  • Practical enforceability: Data centers serve national and international functions; state-level restrictions may be difficult to implement and could conflict with federal commerce regulations or interstate data flows

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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