Happy 2020! Time for the California Consumer Privacy Act!

As discussed in the Tip of the Night for December 20, 2018, at midnight tonight the California Consumer Privacy Act will become effective. in addition to requiring electronic devices to have unique passwords, the law will enable Californian residents to access their personal data that companies have collected; instruct the companies to delete the data; and restrict the sale of the data. Since California is such a large state, it is widely expected that companies will allow the residents of any state to opt out of the sale of their personal information, in order to make compliance with the California law simpler.

Only companies with more than $25 million in revenue; those which collect the data for more than 50,000 people; or those which make more than half their income through the sale of personal data have to comply with the new law. The law specifically requires that companies post a link on their home page named, "Do Not Sell My Personal Information”. See this example:

. . . clicking on this link leads to a form a user can fill out.