Articles Posted in Privacy Regulations

Complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act in 5 (more or less) Not So Easy Steps
Part 2 of a Series

What’s Next – the Breach Response Plan

This is the second in a series of articles on complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The CCPA is estimated to impact more than 500,000 businesses, many of them smaller and mid-size businesses., Complying with the detailed requirements of the CCPA — including disclosure and notice procedures, opt-out rights, updating privacy policies, and revising vendor agreements – is daunting.  In our last article, we highlighted the importance of the Data Map. When you finish your data map, what should you do next?

What is the CCPA?

The California Consumer Privacy Act was signed into law on June 28, 2018, and will become effective January 1, 2020 – although the Attorney General is precluded from bringing an enforcement action under the CCPA until the earlier of six months after the final regulations are published, or July 1, 2020.  The effective date of the Act gives covered businesses little time to prepare.  Preparing now is particularly important, because many obligations under the Act will require advance work, and companies will need to begin now.

After the Data Map – the Incident Response Plan

Most businesses understand that if they suffer a data breach – if specified personal information is accessed by unauthorized users – the business has to consider notifying the individuals whose information has been accessed, and possibly their regulators. Despite the fact that laws requiring notification laws have been in effect for more than 15 years, many companies do not have plans to address a breach. Commencing on January 1, 2020, when the CCPA goes into effect, the inability to respond will become a bigger issue. The reason – the CCPA grants a private right of action to individuals.

Actions under the CCPA

Under the CCPA any natural person who is a resident of California may bring an action if their unencrypted or unredacted personal information has been exposed due to a business’s failure to maintain appropriate security safeguards. The definition of personal information under the CCPA is broader for most purposes of the Act than when determining a breach – it is limited to a person’s name (at least first initial and last name) and either their social security number, driver’s license or state identification number, bank or credit card information, or medical or health insurance information.

There is no requirement that a plaintiff demonstrate damages; instead,` plaintiffs can seek statutory damages between $100 and $750, injunctive or declaratory relief, or “any other relief the court deems proper. In addition, plaintiffs can seek actual damages in excess of the statutory recoveries. And the Act specifically allows the aggregation of claims into a class action. The specific authorization of a private right of action means that any breach is more likely to result in extended, costly, and embarrassing legal action. Continue reading

Complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act in 5 (more or less) Not So Easy Steps
Part 1 of a Series

First Steps First – the Data Map

It is estimated that more than 500,000 companies are subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), many of them smaller and mid-size business, where the detailed requirements of the Act – disclosure and notice  procedures, opt-out rights, updating privacy policies, and revising vendor agreements – is daunting.  So where should a business begin in its efforts to meet the Act’s requirements?

What is the CCPA?

The California Consumer Privacy Act was signed into law on June 28, 2018, and will become effective January 1, 2020 – although the Attorney General is precluded from bringing an enforcement action under the CCPA until the earlier of six months after the final regulations are published, or July 1, 2020.  The effective date of the Act gives covered businesses little time to prepare.  Preparing now is particularly important, because many obligations under the Act will require advance work, and companies will need to begin now.

What businesses must comply with the Act?

As has been well publicized, the Act is applicable to many businesses, whether located inside or outside California.  The Act applies to for-profit entities that both collect and process the personal information (as defined in the Act) of California residents and do business in the State of California –  a physical presence in California is not a requirement to becoming subject to the Act. Additionally, the business must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Generate annual gross revenue in excess of $25 million,
• Receive or share personal information of more than 50,000 California residents annually, or
• Derive at least 50 percent of its annual revenue by selling the personal information of California residents.

What to do first – Data mapping

The first, and possibly most important, thing a company should do to comply with the Act is to understand what data the company collects, how it uses the data and who has access to it.  Understanding how the company collects, processes, transmits and stores data – as well as how it’s used and who uses it – is the foundation of a data privacy program and the key to complying with the Act and most other privacy regulations.  A company’s data is often its most valuable asset, but the exact movements of sensitive data are often poorly understood, providing unknown exposure points and increasing the risk of data loss.  Continue reading