ALBUQUERQUE, NM— Today, a coalition of LGBTQ+, civil rights, and reproductive justice advocates launched a public petition urging support for New Mexico Community & Health Information Safety & Privacy Advocacy (NMCHISPA,) a groundbreaking campaign calling to protect residents’ deeply personal data from misuse and exploitation.
Tech companies constantly harvest and sell personal data far beyond shopping preferences. Information about our immigration status, gender identity, or whether we’ve accessed reproductive healthcare can be purchased by anyone, including out-of-state law enforcement and anti-LGBTQ+ politicians. NMCHISPA raises awareness about the dangerous loopholes in our data privacy laws, calling for no one in New Mexico to be harmed just because of who they are or the healthcare they’ve accessed.
“New Mexico communities contain a majority of people who face a higher level of risk anytime their data is not secure. LGBTQ folks, immigrants, and those in mixed-status families, and those who seek reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare - all deserve to know what is done with information collected about them and how it can be used against them," says Nathan Saavedra, Director of Policy, Power, & People for Equality New Mexico.
NMCHISPA urges strong consent-based standards for digital data collection and sharing, particularly for health-related apps like period trackers, fitness devices, and mental health platforms—areas that currently fall outside federal protections. The campaign specifically calls for:
- Limits on data collection to what is truly necessary.
- Requirements for clear and affirmative consent before data can be sold or shared.
- Making it easier for people to control and secure their privacy settings online.
- Specific protections for sensitive health and identity information.
“In an era where transgender and non-binary people are targeted in so many ways, we at TGRCNM know that data privacy is a crucial protection. Trans and other LGBTQ people seek community and vital information and access online, and privacy violations can expose even transgender youth to being outed and harassed," says Adrien Lawyer, Co-founder and Director of Education for Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico.
Bold Futures NM joined the coalition as a co-sponsor of the petition, citing the deep connection between digital privacy, reproductive justice, and community safety.
“Tracking healthcare data through our smartphones or computers is not only invasive, it can put people getting healthcare in our state at risk of prosecution for getting the care they need. Online information is often sold to the highest bidder without clear consent. Now more than ever, we need guardrails in place to protect our privacy. New Mexicans deserve the opportunity to have a say in what entities have access to and how their information is shared,” says Kat Sánchez, Policy Director for Bold Futures New Mexico.
"Every New Mexican deserves to know what happens to their personal data, especially information about their health, identity, and family choices," said Lena Weber, interim policy director at ACLU of New Mexico. "Right now, tech companies can harvest and sell deeply personal information—from period tracking to mental health app usage—without meaningful consent. NMCHISPA calls to put power back in people's hands by requiring companies to get permission before collecting and selling personal information, while ensuring continued access to the vital online healthcare and support resources our communities need."
Every New Mexican deserves the right to control their own body and their own data. Our choices about health, identity, and family should be ours alone—not for sale to the highest bidder. We all have a role to play in raising awareness and calling for action on this pressing issue.
