Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has reminded residents of their rights under the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their personal information. This reminder comes in conjunction with efforts by the attorneys general of Colorado and Connecticut, states that also have strong privacy protections.

Attorney General Bonta emphasized the importance of using tools like Global Privacy Control (GPC), a browser setting or extension that signals businesses not to sell personal information for targeted advertising. "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 an easy way to limit third-party access to personal data.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong also highlighted the ease with which consumers can protect their privacy: "Websites are constantly tracking and collecting our personal information for every purpose you can imagine. In Connecticut, you can now opt out of tracking across all sites by selecting a single simple option."

The CCPA grants California consumers control over their personal information collected by businesses, including requesting businesses stop selling or sharing it. Businesses must wait at least 12 months before asking consumers to opt back into data sales after receiving an opt-out request.

Consumers have two options for opting out: enabling Global Privacy Control or opting out one business at a time through links provided on business websites. The GPC signal allows users to automatically indicate their preference not to sell personal information without making individual requests on each website.

For more details on the CCPA and how to opt-out, resources are available online.