Requires telephone corporations provide on their website information and materials pertaining to victims of domestic violence and opting-out of a bundle…

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Roxanne J. Persaud says this is needed

Domestic violence abusers are often extremely skillful at utilizing sensitive information about their victims to control, manipulate, and harm them. In cases where a domestic violence abuser is a primary account holder of a shared telephone line that the survivor is a part of, an abuser can easily access and monitor their victim's phone data, texts, and calls. This poses a serious threat to both the survivor and those they are in contact with as the abuser can utilize this informa- tion to compromise their privacy and wellbeing. Furthermore, an abuser can use this access to manipulate the survivor and interfere with their efforts to escape. Currently, New York State law requires telephone corporations to make their domestic violence resources widely available on their websites and in their stores for survivors to utilize. However, it is still extremely difficult for survivors to find the information and materials needed to take advantage of this resource. This difficulty largely stems from the lack of a clear and universal way to locate this essential service on telephone websites. Today, telephones are a central part of our daily lives, enabling us to accomplish essential tasks such as communicating with others, managing banking and utility accounts, and navigating directions while traveling. Therefore, it is imperative that survivors have a streamlined process for removing control of their devices from their abusers. Ultimately, this legislation ensures that no survivor struggles to access resources that help them reclaim their control over their lives.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.