Data privacy in California will soon be as easy as clicking a button. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed into law a bill that requires internet browsers to make it easy for customers to notify websites that they do not want their data sold.
Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
The bill is called the California Opt Me Out Act, and it bolsters the California Consumer Privacy Act, which became law in 2020. The act originally allowed internet consumers to opt out of having their data sold to third parties, but major web browsers did not make that process simple. Consumers would either have to install third-party browser extensions or else instruct every single website they visited not to sell their data.
More from CNET: Worried About Your Data Security and Privacy? You're Not Alone
Tom Kemp, executive director of the California Privacy Protection Agency, said that internet consumers shouldn't have to "jump through countless hoops" to prevent their data from being sold.
"This law puts the power back in consumers' hands and makes exercising your privacy rights at scale as simple as clicking a button in your browser," Kemp said in a statement.
Staffers for California Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D–Long Beach) said that the law affects browsers on both desktop and mobile and applies to California residents using a browser that meets certain threshold requirements, such as revenue and how many consumers whose data are being shared.
'A major step forward'
Debbie Reynolds, data privacy and emerging technology strategist who's known as The Data Diva, said California's new law is a big win for consumers but that enforcement will be key.
"It moves privacy control from individual users to companies that have the resources and technology to manage it effectively," Reynolds told CNET. "The new requirement will force companies to redesign their data systems, which were never built to manage a universal opt-out signal. While the change improves privacy for consumers, consistent enforcement and adoption across all platforms will be essential to make the protection complete."
... continue reading