California Consumer Privacy Act gains support in wake of GDPR
by Xavier Harding, Mic
The European Union’s recently enacted General Data Protection Regulation laws affect more than just European internet users. Because of GDPR, which became enforceable Friday, any business or entity that operates in the EU or provides services to EU citizens — including some brick-and-mortar retailers —is now required to provide users with a way to access their own data, as well as information about when their data is being collected and how to delete their data if they so choose.
People in the U.S. get to reap many of these benefits, too, like being able to download your data and being notified when there’s a breach, but GDPR’s ripple effect has an additional benefit: motivating U.S. lawmakers and other groups to get serious about similar regulations stateside.
Enter the California Consumer Privacy Act. If successful, the ballot initiative — first drafted in November and submitted May 3 with about 625,000 signatures — would give consumers greater control over their personal information.