§ 671 — Declaration of legislative findings and intent

§ 671. Declaration of legislative findings and intent. The legislature\nfinds and declares that the viewing of rented video tapes and movies in\nthe home is a popular and widespread leisure pastime. Innumerable retail\nestablishments in this state commonly record, often by computer, data\ncontaining the identities of consumers who have rented video tapes and\nmovies and the titles of the videos rented. The large amounts of\npersonally identifiable information collected by such establishments,\nand the possibility of public dissemination of that information, pose a\nserious threat to the personal privacy of New Yorkers and is therefore a\nmatter of state concern.\n It is the intent of the legislature by enactment of this article to\nprotect the personal privacy of individuals and their families who rent\nvideo cassette tapes and movies and similar audio visual materials,\nwithout unreasonably restricting the ability of video tape service\nproviders to collect and use information as is necessary to conducting\ntheir businesses.\n