California Passes the Strongest Consumer Privacy Law in the U.S.

California has just passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the strictest data privacy law in the United States. The law, which goes into effect in 2020, grants consumers the right to:

• Know what data companies collect about them
• Request deletion of their data
• Opt-out of having their data sold to third parties

Tech companies lobbied hard against the bill, arguing that compliance would be costly and complex. However, lawmakers moved forward, citing public demand for stronger privacy protections in the wake of Facebook and Google data scandals.

With California setting the precedent, other U.S. states may follow suit, pushing the federal government to establish a national privacy law