People are increasingly living more of their lives on a screen, interacting with the digital world on social media platforms, games and apps.

These online spaces are big business for companies, who sell the enormous amounts of data that most people freely make available when they surf, scroll and click.

Corporate America says that the information they collect about us is used to better customize our experience online, but let’s not kid ourselves, this information is extremely valuable to advertisers, vendors, politicians, and companies across the spectrum.

But few people know how their data is being used.

Advocates say that is on purpose. They accuse giant tech companies of hiding their true intent for people’s data behind byzantine legal mumbo-jumbo and confusing privacy settings.

Lawmakers are beginning to launch more active attempts to protect people’s privacy online, and restrict how their data can be used.

One of the most stringent data privacy laws in the nation went into effect in Maryland, on October 1, 2025.

Caitriona Fitzgerald joins Midday to discuss the new law and trends in data privacy. She is the Deputy Director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC.

And Markus Rauschecker, Director of the University of Maryland Center for Cyber, Health and Hazard Strategies, joins the show to talk about data security and what Marylanders can expect in the future when it comes to their personal information online.