In response to consumer concerns about data privacy, the European Union passed the General Data Protection Regulation. However, Europe is not the only region moving to protect consumer data. The Golden State passed the California Consumer Privacy Act, which takes effect on January 1, 2020. The Empire State has also made moves to enact the New York Privacy Act, which experts say is even more strict than the CCPA.
But how effective is the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2020?
Potential Negative Effects of CCPA’s Data Protection
Bryan Osima is a software engineer and CEO of Uvietech Software Solutions Inc., a tech company based in New York. He believes that these policies may not change anything. Consumers may also lose access to free-to-use apps.
“[It is] mostly free apps that harvest personal information, inclusive of location data … [A] lot of free apps will cease to exist with a free-to-use model if enough users don’t consent to their data being sold,” Osima tells Parentology. He believes that consumers have already accepted a lack of privacy as the new norm. Thus, when the CCPA forces users to actively consent or deny access to their data, he doesn’t believe it will change anything.
Similarly, CNN business cautions consumers against believing that the CCPA makes their data safe. It poses the question of what safeguards companies that already have access to data will put in place to protect it from data breaches. After all, data does not always get sold; sometimes hackers steal it.
The Expected Benefits of CCPA’s Data Protection
In spite of these potential drawbacks, the CCPA passed with high optimism in California. In fact, rather than fight its passing, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and IBM lobbied the Trump administration. They urged the president to pass nationwide privacy laws, albeit on their own terms.
There are some people who foresee great things ahead for the CCPA and its ability to protect consumer data. Among them is Jamie Cambell, the founder of GoBestVPN. He shares with Parentology, “Developers and companies already know about the trend and have known for some time. If they haven’t prepped their codebase then at least they’ve had time to think about how to modify their existing systems to operate under any new laws around personal data protection.”
He adds, “Whether there’s some new law being proposed or passed, on a state or federal level, does not matter. The world is changing and it’s most certainly headed towards a direction where individuals will have rights around the data companies and apps are collecting.”
He also pointed out the three main provisions of the CCPA that consumers should look out for:
- 1798.100 and 1798.101: Individuals are able to request what kind of information a company is collecting and how they sell the data.
- 1798.102 and 1798.103: Individuals are able to say “no” to companies selling off their data. This also protects individuals from any sort of service discrimination resulting from invoking this right.
- 1798.112: Businesses become liable for any security breach that pertains to individuals’ data.
Experts around the world identify the CCPA as California’s nod to the EU’s GDPR. Note that while this is not a nationwide law, it nonetheless has nationwide effects for one big reason: America’s tech capital is in Silicon Valley. This includes the likes of Google, Apple, and Uber. However, consumers should also prepare for potential drawbacks.
California Consumer Privacy Act 2020 — Sources
New York Times: California Passes Sweeping Law to Protect Online Privacy
The New York State Senate: Senate Bill S5642
The New York Times: Tech Industry Pursues a Federal Privacy Law, on Its Own Terms
CNN Business: Having More Control Over Your Data Doesn’t Mean It’s Safe
Bryan Osima, Uvietech Software Solutions Inc
Jamie Cambell, GoBestVPN