The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 was recently signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. This law, which takes effect in 2020, was designed to protect consumers from businesses that sell your personal information. The act will hold businesses accountable for sharing personal data from their customers. The California Privacy Act’s main tenants are the following:

• This act gives you ownership over the data that businesses are sharing. It will be required that businesses produce a yearly report on the data that is collected as well as what devices they are collecting the data from. For instance, the law grants you the right to know what companies like Facebook and Google are doing with your personal data.
• You can decide what type of personal data that businesses share. The act allows consumers to tell business when they want them to stop sharing without fear of discrimination, such as interfering with your services, denying you access to services or charging you more for services. You can tell companies to stop sharing your data. Individuals under 16 years of age must opt into allowing these companies to share any data.
• Businesses who violate the act could face stricter penalties and fines. You may feel more secure in knowing that you can hold businesses accountable for safeguarding your personal information.

Although not as encompassing as the European Union’s recent privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act will give consumers in our state more control over how their personal information is collected and shared. However, consumer protection advocates expect California lawmakers to make additional changes to the law before it goes into effect in 2020.

Have More Questions About Consumer Protection?

If you require assistance on any consumer protection lawsuits or disputes, contact the trusted consumer protection and employment law firm CounselOne.