In June 2018, California legislature passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), a legislative replacement that went from draft to law in less than a week. The law was initiated to address growing concerns regarding data protection and to provide California residents with more control over their personal information. CCPA takes effect January 1, 2020, although companies affected will have a six-month enforcement grace period through July 1, 2020.
CCPA is the most comprehensive privacy law to date in the United States. Yet, there are still many areas of CCPA, including details related to enforcement criteria, that require clarification from the California Attorney General. What’s more, a number of CCPA-related amendments are still being reviewed and continuously updated.
While the implications of CCPA are not yet clear, one thing is for certain: we have to prepare compliant data strategies in the midst of ambiguous regulatory details. The timeline for GDPR in the EU provided roughly two years to prepare, whereas organizations operating within California have under a year.
How do we prepare for CCPA?
CCPA creates a challenge for businesses that are eager to ensure they are operating according to the law’s requirements. Conversely, CCPA also creates an opportunity for organizations to distinguish themselves by bolstering their data ethics and governance programs. In the meantime, the clock is ticking. It’s important that organizations understand what’s currently at stake with CCPA and how they can best ensure they will be compliant with regulations.
Read our detailed analysis on the implications of CCPA, bills related to the law, our position on these bills, and what businesses and our industry can do to preserve healthy business models. To help you better prepare for CCPA, we’ve also developed a CCPA Content Hub. There, you’ll find the latest news on all things CCPA and related privacy regulations, as well as articles and informational podcasts to help answer your CCPA-related questions, all helping you better prepare for the upcoming privacy and regulation changes.