Bill > HB1831

This bill creates a new offense in Tennessee law that prohibits using or selling an individual's personal identifying information, such as home and work addresses, telephone numbers, and social security numbers, which was obtained from a governmental entity (like the state or a local government) for commercial use. To obtain such information, individuals must sign an affidavit, prescribed by the office of open records counsel, attesting that they will not use or sell the information for commercial purposes. A violation of this provision is classified as a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $500, and each individual whose information is misused constitutes a separate offense. This new rule is in addition to existing protections under the Tennessee Information Protection Act and does not apply if the individual whose information is being used expressly authorizes its commercial use.