California Rings-In 2020 with New, Comprehensive Privacy Law

California’s Consumer Privacy Act, known as CCPA, will become the toughest data privacy law in the U.S., beginning January 1, 2020.  The new law is expected to become the de facto state-standard for personal data privacy, since there is no sign of similar federal legislation in the foreseeable future.

California’s new legislation is broad in intent and scope:

“On Jan. 1, 2020, all Californians will be able to find out what personal information a business is collecting about them, their devices and their children,” said Mary Stone Ross, one of the new law’s co-authors, and a nationally recognized data privacy expert.

According to the [new] law, consumers will be able to opt out of the sale of their personal information. If a company fails to implement reasonable security practices and consumers’ personal information is breached, they’ll be allowed to sue those companies.

Companies can still collect the data: what you buy; where you go, and when; all the photos you’ve ever taken; your emails, even the ones you deleted. But what companies must now do is tell you what they’re collecting when you ask, and delete it all if you ask for that.

What companies can’t do anymore, legally, is sell that data if you tell them not to. But if they do anyway, consumers can’t sue. The law reserves lawsuits for another all-too-common problem: “It’s only for data breaches. So if certain categories of personal information, for example, your Social Security number, are breached, and a business fails to implement reasonable security practices, then you have cause,” said Stone Ross.”

Big Tech is spending big money to rewrite and weaken the law; it is widely expected they will file a suit to stop implementation of the law before the new year. It is noted that most big Techs have taken some steps to comply with the CCPA. However, this law represents a significant threat to Big Tech advertising revenue. Tech companies in general earn big money selling individuals personal data: Facebook alone made $55 billion in 2018 providing advertisers access to users’ information.

It is apparent that this privacy battle is only beginning to unfold. We will provide updates as the story evolves.

Link to CCPA on California Legislature Site:  https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB375

Want additional information on the CCPA while protecting your privacy? Use the DuckDuckGo search engine to search for the CCPA.

BTW:  CourtTrax never sells access to our users’ information; none of it. We never have, we don’t now, and we never will. Your use of CourtTrax is only yours and your company’s business.

Cheers and Happy New Year!
~Nick Ledbetter
President & CEO, CourtTrax

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