California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said last week that “knowledge is power, and in today’s world knowledge is derived from data. When it comes to your own data, you should be in control…” These words came in an Advisory highlighting California consumers’ rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The Advisory outlined several areas highlighting consumer rights under the CCPA, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, including a description of the new data broker registry law. We’ve written extensively on the CCPA this past year and what it means for California consumers and businesses.
The Attorney General’s office also released a CCPA fact sheet that stated that the CCPA will protect more than $12 billion worth of personal information that is used each year for advertising purposes in California according to estimates from the Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment for the CCPA regulations. That’s a staggering estimate of the worth of our personal information.
It’s no secret our data are a valuable commodities in today’s world, and the Attorney General’s message is that the CCPA gives consumers some power over the use of their data. The states of Maine and Nevada have already enacted similar (but different) data laws. Maine enacted the Act to Protect the Privacy of Online Consumer Information, which requires internet service providers in Maine to obtain consumer consent before selling, using, or permitting access to a customer’s personal information. In Nevada, covered operators of Internet websites or on-line services must allow consumers the ability to opt out of the sale of their personal information. It will be interesting to see what additional legislation states will enact in 2020.