California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a reminder to residents about their rights under the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) to opt-out of the sale and sharing of personal information. This announcement comes shortly after Data Privacy Day, highlighting the importance of data privacy in today's digital age.
Attorney General Bonta emphasized the use of Global Privacy Control (GPC), a browser setting or extension that automatically signals businesses not to sell personal information to third parties. "Every single one of our online interactions is a robust source of data that broadcasts who we are, what we like, and how we live," said Bonta. He encouraged Californians to use GPC as it is "the easiest way to limit the number of third parties that have access to our personal information and online behavioral data."
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong also voiced support for these privacy measures, stating, "Websites are constantly tracking and collecting our personal information for every purpose you can imagine." He noted that Connecticut residents can now opt out of tracking across all sites with a single option.
Data collection online is pervasive, with estimates suggesting an average person produces 1.7 MB of data per second. Websites and apps track user behavior such as pages visited and purchase details, often creating detailed consumer profiles.
Under CCPA, California consumers can request businesses stop selling or sharing their personal information. Businesses must comply unless they receive later authorization from the consumer. The law requires businesses to wait at least 12 months before asking consumers to opt back in.
Consumers have two primary options for opting out: enabling GPC or opting out one business at a time through links provided on company websites. The GPC signal simplifies this process by allowing users to opt-out without making individual requests on each site they visit.
For more details on CCPA and opting out procedures, resources are available online including tutorials on installing GPC.