DENVER — More than 20 new laws went into effect in Colorado on Monday.
One of the new laws aims to help protect your data online while another is looking out for pollinators.
Protect Personal Data Privacy
Every time you visit a website, companies track your activity, purchases, and personal information.
A new online tool allows you to opt-out of that data collection, automatically, while you're online. It's called Global Privacy Control and it has a universal opt-out mechanism.
A part of SB21-190, which was passed in 2021, goes into effect today making it so companies have to abide by and acknowledge that tool by not collecting or selling your data. After you download the plug-in to your browser, the tool automatically sends a signal to each website you visit and protects your data.
"We should have the right to keep our information private if we want and this tool is the latest opportunity for consumers to at least stop the collection and sale of information moving forward," said Danny Katz, executive director of the progressive advocacy group, Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG).
Neonic Pesticides As Limited-use Pesticides
Another part of a law that goes into effect Monday aims to help protect pollinators, like bees and other insects. SB23-266 was passed in the 2023 Regular Session in Colorado.
As of Monday, there's now a limit on the sale of a class of insecticides called neonics. Only licensed pesticide dealers will be able to sell it and neonics will no longer be on retail shelves.
Advocacy group Environment Colorado said that will help protect the bees, which are crucial to our food supply.
"We're seeing a 70% decline in the western bumble bee population, which is a huge collapse," said Henry Stiles, an Environment Colorado advocate. "We're seeing declines in other species too, not just bees, like mayflies, that fly fisherman are noticing this that these insects are collapsing."
Stiles said people should check their closets for insecticides they may have purchased before July 1. He said you can look up the products online to find out the disclosed ingredients to make sure you're not indiscriminately using neonics.
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