The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is a comprehensive privacy law in the state of California, US. It was enacted to enhance the privacy rights and protections of California residents and grant them greater control over their personal information. CCPA is similar in some aspects to the EU’s GDPR and has become a significant privacy framework in the US. Here are the key components and features of CCPA:
- Scope: CCPA applies to businesses that operate in California and meet certain criteria, such as having annual gross revenues exceeding $25 million, handling the personal information of at least 50,000 California consumers, or deriving 50% or more of their annual revenue from selling California consumers’ personal information.
- Consumer rights: CCPA grants California consumers several rights regarding their personal information, including the following rights:
- Know what personal information is collected, disclosed, or sold
- Opt out of the sale of personal information
- Access their personal information
- Request the deletion of their personal information
- Equal service and price, even if they exercise their privacy rights
- Definitions of personal information: CCPA defines personal information broadly, including not only traditional identifiers but also online identifiers, browsing history, geolocation data, and other information that can be reasonably linked to an individual.
- Transparency and disclosure: Businesses subject to CCPA must provide clear and conspicuous privacy notices to consumers, informing them about the types of personal information collected, the purposes for which it will be used, and the rights available to them.
- Opt-out of sale: CCPA requires businesses that sell personal information to provide consumers with an option to opt out of such sales. Businesses must also provide a Do Not Sell My Personal Information link on their websites.
- Data access and deletion requests: Businesses must establish procedures for consumers to submit requests to access or delete their personal information, and they must respond to these requests within specific timeframes.
- Non-discrimination: Businesses are prohibited from discriminating against consumers who exercise their privacy rights, such as by denying them goods or services, charging them different prices, or providing them with a lower quality of service.
- Data security and safeguards: While CCPA does not prescribe specific security standards, it requires businesses to implement reasonable security measures to protect personal information.
- Enforcement and penalties: The California Attorney General can enforce CCPA violations, with penalties ranging from fines to injunctions. In certain cases, consumers can also bring private lawsuits against businesses that fail to adequately protect their personal information.
- Amendments and evolution: CCPA is not static and may evolve over time. Amendments and adjustments to the law may occur to address emerging privacy concerns and issues.
CCPA has had a significant impact on how businesses collect, use, and protect personal information, not only in California but also beyond, as many organizations have extended CCPA-like privacy protections to consumers nationwide. Organizations subject to CCPA must understand their obligations, update their privacy practices, and be prepared to respond to consumer requests regarding their personal data. For more details about it, refer to CCPA’s official website: https://www.oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa.
