Takeaway: California Attorney General Bonta has taken significant steps in enforcing the CCPA in the past year, as well as launching a new online Consumer Privacy Tool, making it easier for consumers to request their personal information not be sold.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) has made headlines since going into effect on January 1, 2020. Recently, on January 19, 2021, California Attorney General Bonta announced the enforcement efforts taken by his office in the past year.
Most notably, he reported that upon receiving a notice of alleged violation, 3/4 of those violators changed their business practices to become compliant with the law. Moreover, they did this within the required 30-day period set by the CCPA. The remaining businesses yet to cure their practices are reported to be either under an active and ongoing investigation or have already taken a few steps in the right direction. In the words of California Attorney General Bonta, “Enforcement of the CCPA marks an enormous step for privacy protection in California, particularly at this time after the COVID-19 pandemic moved so much of our lives online. We’re happy to announce that we are seeing great progress with our CCPA enforcement, but there’s more work to be done.”
The Attorney General’s office also announced the launch of a new online Consumer Privacy Tool that will let consumers notify businesses directly that do not have a conspicuous “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link on their homepage. The purpose of this tool is to make it even easier for consumers to request for their personal information not to be sold.
For more information about the CCPA and how it may affect your business, contact one of our qualified attorneys to assist you.