The new law will give Californians the strongest online privacy rights in the world.
When I started Streamlytics in 2018 I was shocked to learn Americans had no real rights or agency over the data that they produce on a daily basis. Having operated in the technology industry for years and understanding how many internet businesses work, it was even more shocking knowing that billions of dollars were being made off of this same data. Most people don’t realize that The United States is the largest western country without a federal data privacy law and, not having one, has allowed for consumer data to be exploited for decades.
But, last night Californians drew a line in the sand and made it clear that they will own their data. The vote to approve proposition 24, The California Privacy Rights Act, moved our country in the right direction and lays a foundation for how our data can be used now, and in the future.
I know that many people outside of California don’t understand how the passing of this law affects them but, experts believe, that this new privacy law will set the bar for privacy rights for the rest of the nation and that federal laws will follow suit.
The new law will give Californians the strongest online privacy rights in the world, including protecting sensitive personal information, tripling fines against companies that violate kids’ data, establishing an enforcement arm for consumers, and making it harder to weaken privacy laws in the future.
Though we are still waiting for results to finalize in our Presidential election, it’s reassuring to see democracy at work for our privacy. I’m hoping the same will happen for our highest office.
