When the European Union’s General Data Protection Act (GDPR) passed in 2016, it became startlingly obvious that the United States did not have strict enough laws protecting the privacy rights of consumers. In 2018, California passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) with additional amendments passed in 2019. The law, which is commonly called the “GDPR-lite,” takes effect on January 1, 2020. It is the strictest consumer privacy law passed in the United States thus far.
The CCPA is a complex set of consumer protections, and it provides the following rights to California consumers, among others:
- To know what personal information companies are collecting about them
- To know whether companies are selling or disclosing their personal information and to whom
- To refuse to allow companies to sell their personal information
- To access their own personal information that might be available to others
- To be offered equal prices and services despite exercising their rights under privacy laws
If companies lose data, wrongfully expose data, or allow for the theft of data, consumers have the right to seek damages by filing a civil action.
The CCPA is considered to be the most comprehensive legislation passed protecting consumer privacy. While the law is only statewide, it applies to any company that handles or collects data from California residents, which include many nationwide companies.
To make matters more interesting, Microsoft has announced that it will honor the rights set out in the California law regarding all consumers throughout the U.S. More companies are expected to follow suit, and other states are expected to begin passing similar legislation.
Contact a Consumer Protection Lawyer in Los Angeles
As the CCPA takes effect, consumers should know about their increased privacy protections. If you have any concerns, contact the Los Angeles consumer protection attorneys at Martin & Bontrager for help. Call 323.940.1700 or contact us online today.
