New Mexicans Lack Essential Data Privacy Protection

SANTA FE - Yesterday, dozens of community leaders, advocates, and legislators gathered at the state capitol to highlight the detrimental impact that lax data privacy has had on public safety and democracy. During a press briefing, NM CHISPA, a coalition of LGBTQ+, reproductive justice, immigrant rights and democracy organizations, called on the legislature to pass the Community Health & Information Safety & Privacy Act (SB 53, also known as “CHISPA”), which will protect consumer data from exploitation by big corporations.

CHISPA addresses urgent privacy concerns as tech companies amass vast troves of sensitive personal data through internet activities. Every day, companies quietly collect extensive information about New Mexicans – from health concerns and family lives to locations and financial status. This data enables discriminatory practices that disproportionately harm vulnerable communities and facilitates the targeting of immigrants, low-income and people of color, and tracking of LGBTQ+ individuals and reproductive health care patients.

“We are actively living in an era where government agencies, both federally and in neighboring states have contracted with data brokers and big tech entities that collect, process, and sell our personal information,” stated Nathan Saavedra, director of policy and people at Equality New Mexico. “This data can and has been used against our communities across the country. New Mexico has the opportunity with NMCHISPA to enact real and tangible protections for those within our borders.”

One of SB 53 CHISPA’s lead sponsors, Senator Angel Charley, spoke during the briefing about the importance of protecting private information, sharing her personal story with data privacy. As a mother and advocate in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Crisis, Charley shared that data leads to direct harm and lives lost.

“Today, New Mexico draws a clear line: our health, our bodies, our children, our lives - they are not for sale,” stated Senator Angel Charley. “For too long our information has been treated like a commodity. Privacy is not a luxury, it is a basic right that is tied directly to safety. This bill is about digital sovereignty. CHISPA gives us the right to change or correct our data, and the right to say no. Rights without enforcement are not real rights. We say we protect our communities, but that protection must also stretch into the digital world.”

The digital age we are in means that whether we realize it or not, our information is being shared with corporations and apps without direct consent. This can have big impacts on our lives and opportunities.

“Because we live, work and play in the digital age, digital safety is a critical issue,” stated Tatiana Prieto, policy advocate, at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico. “Every day, New Mexicans are tracked every time we open an app or search online. This can then lead to discrimination, like denying a job or worse. This has a disproportionate impact on people of color, patients, and other vulnerable communities. The geolocation data from fitness apps, the medication we add into an app, and more deserves to be in our control. We want to make this clear: New Mexicans data is not for sale. Our data should only be collected when we consent and when it’s clear what it will be used for.”

NM CHISPA also presented petitions gathered from New Mexicans across the state urging the legislature to adopt strong data privacy standards. “This stack contains over 1,100 signed petitions in support of community-driven data privacy protections - including tios, aunties, students, doulas and healthcare workers, farmers, and advocates from 27 out of 33 counties across the state,” stated Rach Arrey, reproductive health associate with Bold Futures New Mexico. “From Bernalillo to Doña Ana – to Chaves and Cibola counties – New Mexicans join us in a common goal: to protect our data privacy. The momentum is here and the time is now. New Mexicans have spoken. Our safety is not for sale. We urge our Governor to protect our privacy and protect our communities and grant a message to SB 53.”

Hear more from NM CHISPA coalition partners below:

“The use of data by algorithms and automated-decision making systems impacts our healthcare, access to justice, privacy, and right of existence. Every person deserves the right to control how their data is used, not corporations. We know that data without consent and transparency can be used to discriminate, surveil, and harm our communities. We support the introduction of the Community and Health Information and Privacy Safety Act and urge the legislature to pass this legislation.” - Lan Sena, MHA chief strategy officer with the Center For Civic Policy

"CSVANW sees strong data protections as essential to Tribal sovereignty and community safety. Emphasizing user control over personal data helps ensure information is not collected, used, or sold without consent, especially when it comes to protecting youth. From CSVANW’s perspective, data privacy abuses are not isolated issues; they intersect directly with domestic violence, sexual assault, and online exploitation in Tribal communities. Protecting data is a critical step in preventing harm and upholding the safety, dignity, and self-determination of Tribal peoples." - Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women

“For women seeking reproductive health care, data privacy is not abstract—it is about safety. Strong privacy protections help ensure that women in New Mexico can seek care without fear that their personal information will be used against them, shared without consent, or weaponized in other states.” - Commission on the Status of Women

“In today’s age of rampant misinformation, disinformation, and political polarization, the ability of the public to access fact-based information and exercise their first amendment rights is crucial for the stability of our democracy. The right to privacy is also fundamentally a matter of survival for so many communities. It is high time for the legislature to protect the public’s data and expression from exploitation and surveillance. We call on the legislature to pass CHISPA in the 2026 legislative session.” - Arturo Castillo, director of culture and equity, Conservation Voters New Mexico

"Our personal information belongs to us—not tech companies or data brokers. Today, data on everything from our physical locations and online activity to our medical conditions and sexuality is being freely collected, bought, and sold. And once this information enters the surveillance economy, it's hard to know who is using it and how. CHISPA will put control over New Mexicans' private information back into their hands." - Lena Cohen, staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation

“Without firm data privacy protections, the individuals and families we serve, particularly undocumented community members, those seeking reproductive, or gender-affirming care, face real risks of being targeted through their data. This fear creates a devastating barrier: people avoid seeking the critical behavioral health treatment they need. Additionally, it adds to the complex trauma that New Mexicans face, making treatment unnecessarily more challenging and troublesome when solid policy change can mitigate unnecessary harm.” - Logan Howard, director of community impact and public policy, Families and Youth Innovations +

“Data companies collect New Mexicans data and make billions off of it by selling it to other companies, federal agencies such ICE, and other bad actors. That data can and has been used to profile, target and kidnap immigrant and working class communities. Which is why the state legislature must establish data protections to safeguard ALL New Mexicans.” - New Mexico Dream Team

“Families thrive when they have the ability to make the best choices for themselves without fear of retribution. We all deserve the freedom to exist, communicate, and search without being tracked or profiled. We stand in strong support of SB 53, and urge the full legislature and Governor to prioritize the safety of our families by giving the bill a message and ensuring its swift passage.” - Juliana Hernandez, Anthony, NM Strong Families Organizer

“CHISPA is the protection that transgender and non-binary New Mexicans need. It ensures that big corporations, the federal government, and out-of-state prosecutors cannot weaponize our data to target folks receiving gender-affirming care, or accessing reproductive healthcare. TGRCNM supports this bill to protect our communities in NM.” - Adrien Lawyer, founder and co-director at The Transgender Resource Center NM

NM CHISPA is a coalition of advocacy organizations working to safeguard data privacy and freedoms in an increasingly data-driven world. Campaign partners include: ACLU-NM, Bold Futures, The Center for Civic Policy, Conservation Voters New Mexico, Common Cause,

Dream Team, Electronic Frontier Foundation, EQNM, Faith Roots, Families & Youth Innovations Plus (FYI+), Fight for the Future, GLSEN New Mexico, Indigenous Women Rising, National Employment Law Project, New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women, New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, NM Native Vote, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, ProgressNow NM, Strong Families, Tewa Women United, and Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico. Learn more at NMCHISPA.org.