Massachusetts Privacy & Security Compliance Guide

🚨 201 CMR 17.00 (Data Protection Regulation) + breach notification + pending comprehensive law - Effective Data protection: 2010, comprehensive law pending

Data protection: 2010, comprehensive law pending

Established data protection requirements, comprehensive privacy law expected

🏥 MASSACHUSETTS: AMERICA'S PRIVACY PIONEER

First State Data Protection Law: 201 CMR 17.00 (2010) established comprehensive security requirements before any other state - model for current privacy laws nationwide.

Biotech Capital:
• Pfizer, Biogen, Moderna headquarters
• Clinical trial data protection
• Pharmaceutical research databases
• Medical device information

Higher Education Hub: Harvard, MIT, Boston University handle vast research data, student records, and international collaboration requiring sophisticated privacy frameworks.

Financial Services: State Street, Fidelity, John Hancock process trillions in financial data under comprehensive Massachusetts data protection requirements.

Massachusetts by the Numbers

7.0 million

Population

180,000+

Businesses Affected

134

Recent Data Breaches

$Up to $5,000 per record (data protection regulation)

Per Violation Fine

Who Must Comply in Massachusetts?

201 CMR 17.00 (Data Protection Regulation) + breach notification + pending comprehensive law applies to businesses that:

  • Process personal data of Massachusetts residents
  • Meet revenue or data volume thresholds
  • Sell products/services to Massachusetts consumers
  • Have physical or digital presence in Massachusetts

Massachusetts-Specific Requirements

201 CMR 17.00 requires comprehensive data security programs for any business handling MA resident data. First state with mandatory data protection regulation.

Recent Massachusetts Privacy & Security Cases

Mass General Brigham breach (2024) - 1M+ patients

Boston University incident (2023) - Research data

State Street Corp breach (2024) - Client information

Partners Healthcare ransomware (2023)

Major Massachusetts Business Centers

Key cities where privacy compliance is critical for business success:

  • Boston
  • Worcester
  • Springfield
  • Cambridge
  • Lowell

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