Maryland Online Data Privacy Act Comes Into Effect

Today, October 1, 2025, the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (“MODPA”) came into effect. This law marks a significant shift in state privacy law landscape toward laws that meaningfully limit personal data collection and abuse. 

EPIC testified in support of the bill in both the House and Senate. The bill had been sponsored by Delegate Sara Love and Senator Dawn Gile. 

“The Maryland Online Data Privacy Act sets a new standard for state privacy laws,” Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) said. “It requires companies to limit the data they collect to better align with consumers’ expectations and bans the sale of our most sensitive data.” 

Maryland’s law breaks the trend of states passing weak, industry-backed laws and instead provides Marylanders with some of the strongest privacy protections in the country. Since Maryland passed MODPA last year, no state has passed industry’s preferred weak model.