On July 16, 2024, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) Board met to discuss advancing its over 200-page draft rulemaking package to formal proceedings.[1] The proposed regulations include 37 pages of significant new obligations spanning cybersecurity audits, automated decision-making technology (e.g., artificial intelligence, (AI)), privacy risk assessments, and 72 pages of other updates to existing regulations. Together, these regulations would create new compliance obligations for tens of thousands of California businesses and are preliminarily estimated to generate a staggering $4.2 billion in compliance costs for those businesses in their first year alone. Critically, these estimates do not include the many businesses that are based outside of California, yet subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) because they do business in California, meaning the real economic burden is likely to be far more significant.Continue Reading Substantial New CCPA Regulations Inch Closer to Reality: A Detailed Overview of the New Requirements and Their Projected $4 Billion Cost to California Businesses

On June 18, 2024, the California Attorney General and the Los Angeles City Attorney (collectively, “the People”) announced a settlement with Tilting Point Media LLC (Tilting Point). The settlement resolves allegations that Tilting Point violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the Privacy Rights for California Minors in the Digital World Act (Digital Privacy for Minors Act).Continue Reading Video Game App Developer Agrees to Pay $500,000 for Children’s and Minors’ CCPA, COPPA, and Ads Violations

On February 9, 2024, the California Third District Court of Appeals in Sacramento overturned a lower court order that postponed enforcement of the California Privacy Protection Agency’s (CPPA) newest rules. The decision restores the authority of the CPPA and California Attorney General to enforce the latest regulations under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) (“updated CCPA regulations”).Continue Reading California Appeals Court Moves Up Enforcement Date for Latest CCPA Regulations

Significant New CCPA Compliance Requirements Likely on the Way

On August 29, 2023, the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) posted discussion drafts of its forthcoming regulations on cybersecurity audits and risk assessments as part of the materials for its September 8, 2023, public board meeting. These draft regulations are expected to eventually become part of the CPPA’s second rulemaking package under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) since the CCPA’s amendment by the California Privacy Rights Act. The CPPA has not yet started its formal rulemaking process for cybersecurity audits and risk assessments, and it has made clear that these draft regulations are meant to facilitate CPPA Board discussion and public participation. Nevertheless, the obligations set forth in the draft rules are extensive and provide an initial window into the onerous new compliance requirements. Notable requirements put forth for discussion under the draft regulations include:Continue Reading CPPA Posts Draft Rules on Cybersecurity Audits and Risk Assessments

In a shocking turn of events, a Superior Court for the County of Sacramento issued a ruling on June 30, 2023, enjoining the enforcement of the California Privacy Protection Agency’s (the “Agency’s”) California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) modifications to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) regulations until one year after the regulations have been finalized. We previously issued an alert reminding businesses that the CPRA amendments to the CCPA become enforceable starting July 1, 2023, but, in accordance with the court’s ruling, the Agency’s recent modifications to the CCPA regulations to account for the CPRA’s changes to the CCPA now will not become enforceable until March 29, 2024. Per the court’s ruling, the prior CCPA regulations will remain in effect until the new regulations become enforceable.Continue Reading Sacramento Superior Court Delays Enforcement of CPRA Implementing Regulations

On January 27, 2023, the California Attorney General (California AG) Rob Bonta announced an “investigative sweep” of mobile apps in retail, travel, and food service industries for failing to provide a mechanism for—or honor—consumers’ opt-out

Continue Reading California AG Targets Mobile Apps for Failing to Honor or Provide Mechanism for Opt-Out Requests

On August 30, 2022, the California legislature passed the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (the Act). Modeled after the UK’s Age-Appropriate Design Code, California’s act drastically changes the landscape of online privacy and content availability for minors in California. The Act goes beyond the current federal protections of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and could impose onerous new requirements on companies that were and were not previously covered by COPPA. These requirements include, among other things, estimating the ages of minors using the company’s online services; conducting detailed Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for new and existing products; significantly restricting the collection, use, and sharing of minors’ personal information; and configuring default privacy settings to a “high level of privacy.” If the bill is signed into law by Governor Newsom, the Act would come into effect July 1, 2024.
Continue Reading California Legislature Passes Far-Reaching Online Privacy and Content Regulation Bill for Minors