Connecticut residents will gain new control over their personal data and facial recognition information when a package of state laws takes effect Thursday, Oct. 1.

The laws ban the sale of consumers' precise geolocation data, restrict how companies use facial recognition technology and create a statewide registry for data brokers, WTNH reported. Companies that use facial recognition must now notify consumers and explain how their data is collected. Customers will be able to scan a code to see what a company is doing with that data, Attorney General William Tong said, according to CT Insider.

"This is a major expansion … Puts power back in the hands of all of us to control our own personal, confidential, highly sensitive information, including healthcare information," Tong said Sept. 16, according to WTNH.

Greenwich is already preparing. First Selectman Fred Camillo formed a Town of Greenwich AI Task Force in April to guide the town's own use of the technology, improve services and support workforce planning.

Surveillance pricing and online shopping

A separate provision targets so-called surveillance pricing. Under the new law, online retailers must display a notice stating "this price was increased by a price setting device using your personal data" whenever algorithms raise a price based on personal information, according to Greenwich Time. The rule also limits dynamic pricing by delivery companies such as DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats.

Connecticut and eight other states have already reached $7 million in settlements with apartment landlords GreyStar and LivCor over the use of the RealPage platform to set rents through algorithms, Greenwich Time reported.

Employer AI rules

Governor Ned Lamont signed the Connecticut Artificial Intelligence Responsibility and Transparency Act (CART Act) on May 27, according to the National Law Review. Starting Oct. 1, any employer conducting a mass layoff that qualifies under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) must notify the Connecticut Department of Labor whether AI or other technology contributed to the job cuts.

Broader rules take effect later. Employers must disclose when job applicants or employees interact with automated decision-making technology starting Oct. 1, 2027, according to the National Law Review.

Chatbot safety rules follow in January

Companion chatbot requirements do not take effect until Jan. 1, 2027. Those rules will require companies to build safeguards against self-harm encouragement, provide parental controls and block chatbots from engaging in romantic interactions with minors.

State Sen. James Maroney, D-Milford, co-chairman of the General Law Committee, said lawmakers have worked on Big Tech protections since 2020. He cited statistics showing roughly three-quarters of teenagers access companion chatbots monthly and nearly one-third have what he called "an inappropriate relationship with a chat bot."

Tong also confirmed Connecticut is part of a multistate investigation into OpenAI, according to CT Insider. Details of that probe have not been disclosed.

The data broker registry opens Oct. 1, giving residents the ability to find out who holds their information and request its deletion.