Major new privacy law in 2020: What you need to know about the CCPA

One huge change coming in 2020 is a new data privacy law called the California Consumer Protection Act, or CCPA. And its effects will be felt far beyond the Golden State.

The CCPA is basically California’s equivalent to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. The law, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year, grants California residents new privacy rights and consumer protections. It goes into effect at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2020. And, even if you aren’t a resident of California, it could affect you.

What is the CCPA going to do? 

Residents of California will have the right to know what personal data is being collected about them and the right to request that this information be deleted. They will also have the right to know the details of how their data is being used, who the data is sold to or shared with, and they can request that their data not be sold to third parties. In addition, Californians will have the right to request access to their personal data.

In fact, you may have already come across the results of the CCPA in the form of privacy policy update notifications from websites as they prepare for the changes.

“We’ve already seen some differences,” said R. Paul Singh, CMO of Okera, a data security company that works with companies to make sure they are GDPR and CCPA compliant. “Websites already ask you to agree to give permissions to specific thin