COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wants the public to weigh in on whether additional safeguards are needed to protect consumers from having their signatures used without their full knowledge or consent.

The request for comment seeks opinions on a proposed rule that businesses would be required to follow when soliciting and using a person’s signature for reasons unrelated to a transaction.

“A gap in state law has left your signature — a symbol of your identity — vulnerable to misuse,” Yost said. “It’s your signature, and we want your input on how to protect it.”

The public’s feedback will inform the Attorney General’s Office as it considers new safeguards for consumers. A proposed administrative rule could require businesses that solicit signatures during consumer transactions to obtain affirmative consent and provide clear disclosures stating how a person’s signature would be used in future communications.

Yost’s office drafted the proposed rule after learning of numerous Ohioans who alleged their signatures were included in correspondence without their consent.

Comments must be submitted by email to RFC1@OhioAGO.gov. The deadline for submissions is May 24.

Additional information, including the full text of the proposed rule, is available on the Attorney General’s website.