California’s new Internet Privacy Law will have some hurdles to jump through as businesses struggle to maintain their workforces due to Coronavirus and push back against a July 1st, 2020 compliance date.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) gives citizens access to and control over their personal information. No longer want your info stored in a database by your favorite online retailer (that falls within CCPA requirements)? You can now request access to what data they have, request that it not be sold, and ask for that information to be deleted permanently, and starting July 1st, 2020 fines will be implemented if businesses do not comply to requests in the allotted time.
Fines of up to $7,500 per violation. A daunting reality for companies already struggling to keep afloat.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has his office preparing for the first of July deadline “despite pleas from business groups that say they aren’t ready because of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Understandably, “business groups across the state have asked Becerra to hold off. They warn many companies won’t be in compliance by July because of staggering losses and layoffs brought on by the pandemic and state-ordered shutdowns of public life.”
Privacy advocates on the other hand, believe there should be no hold-off on the deadline as “the need to protect data is more crucial than ever, because so many people are now isolated at home and dependent on the Internet to work, socialize, shop and learn.”
Cyber-attacks have risen drastically since the start of state-mandated shutdowns, increasing internet traffic and in turn increasing health-news related “click bait” targeting those working from home. We understand both sides, this is definitely a rock and a hard place.
As Becerra’s office has not yet issued its final regulatory rules to tell businesses how to comply, there will only be a few weeks to master the regulations. President of the California Retailers Association Rachel Michelin is disquieted by this fact, “We don’t know exactly yet what we’re complying to,” she said. “We need them to be able to bring their employees back. The goal should be to reignite the California economy.”
A group of 65 separate trade organizations wrote a letter to Becerra in March asking for enforcement to be delayed until January 2021. However, without a detailed response the complaints have been rejected by Becerra.
His office declares businesses have been aware of the regulations since the law was signed in June 2018 and tech lobbyists have tried to delay implementation since long before COVID-19.
While we all shelter in place, our digital footprint is expanding. From mandatory Zoom meetings to banking online as businesses are closed, there’s just no way around it, and data privacy has become an inalienable right.
For now, the Attorney General’s office doesn’t seem to be wavering, “we’re committed to enforcing the law starting July 1.”
Let us provide you a free initial consultation to see if our CCPA compliance program works for you. Contact us at [email protected].
-Emmy Seigler
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