The California Attorney General’s office recently confirmed that July 1 remained the start of enforcement for the new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The office has already sent it’s first round of compliance letters to businesses, giving them 30 days to cure any violations before facing an investigation or lawsuit.
With the disruptions that occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, many may have thought CCPA would be pushed back to allow businesses to deal with other issues. However, with the exponential increase in cyber threats, better data protection is exactly what we need.
The focus of CCPA is giving consumers more control of their data. Consumers must be clearly notified when their data will be collected, have the option to opt out, request information about how their data is used and sold, and require their data to be deleted.
There is also a provision for consumers to bring allegations against a company if they feel their data was not properly managed. Though some small lawsuits have been filed, one of the largest to date was recently brought against Walmart by a San Francisco resident, claiming they “Failed to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices”.
Will this set the tone for businesses to be sued by customers looking for a payout? Hard to say but no doubt there will be many more complaints and lawsuits. Is your business both complaint and protected? Our CCPA compliance packages offer a range of services to meet your needs rapidly and protect your business. Contact us today.