Dec. 30, 2019—On January 1, a landmark law in California will provide consumers the right to see the personal information that businesses collect about them. And, a USA TODAY article suggests the law could have a far-reaching impact.
Nearly 8 in 10 people say they're concerned about what companies do with the personal data they collect, according to the Pew Research Center. Yet, the private surveillance dragnet is largely out of Americans' control, as USA TODAY notes.
But the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, could change that. And, the CCPA could effectively become a national law some day, privacy advocates say.
The law faces challenges, however, as some lobbyists are attempting to revise it or pre-empt it with federal legislation, claiming the regulations are overly broad and could have unintended consequences that harm consumers and small businesses.
Jennifer King, director of consumer privacy at Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society, says the law might night help as many people as supporters hope, because many consumers might not be aware of the law.
"I'm skeptical that the average person will even know this law exists," King told USA TODAY. "One of my concerns is that there is no budget allocated to public education on the issue."
