In an statement to Techwire, Assemblymember Ed Chau, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection and a member of the California Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus, said the battle to preserve “sweeping rights” under the new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) “was the centerpiece of our efforts this year, and we were successful in doing so while making necessary changes to assist businesses in complying with the law.” But that wasn’t the Legislature’s only gain in the area of technology:
• Chau, a Monterey Park Democrat, called his own Assembly Bill 1202 one of the year’s “other significant accomplishments.” The bill, which took effect Wednesday, defines a data broker as a business that “knowingly collects and sells to third parties the personal information of a consumer with whom the business does not have a direct relationship”; creates an online data broker registry hosted by the Office of the Attorney General; and gives brokers until Jan. 31 to register.
• The Assemblymember appeared to highlight the new data protection initiative launched by San Francisco privacy advocate Alastair Mactaggart, a significant force behind the CCPA’s creation, saying: “There is also another ballot initiative to protect consumer privacy, for which I will hold a committee hearing if the initiative garners sufficient signatures to be put on the ballot. Because of the impact this initiative would have, it will be a high priority issue for 2020.”
• The new year could bring additional insight into the work of the California Department of Technology. In his statement, provided Dec. 20, Chau pointed out that the committee he leads “is the legislative body charged with oversight of the Department of Technology … .” Because of this, he said, “there are also plans to conduct a hearing to learn about the recent work of the Department.” It’s unclear what that could entail. The committee will hold its next hearing Jan. 14 to discuss two Assembly bills. Techwire has reached out to Chau and CDT, and this article may be updated.
• Among the CCPA’s highlights, according to state Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office and Government Technology* magazine, it empowers residents to tell businesses not to sell their personal information (PI) or to stop selling it. The law lets customers seek the deletion of PI held by a business and requires businesses to create procedures to respond to those requests. It gives residents the right to know what PI of theirs is being collected or sold and requires companies to provide notice before or as data is collected. The law also gives consumers the right to not get worse service or higher prices for exercising privacy rights and to not be discriminated against by businesses for exercising those rights. The law’s enforcement remains to be determined.
The Los Angeles Times contributed to this article.
*Government Technology is Techwire's sister publication.
