California Lawmakers Pass Sweeping New Data Privacy Law

Last-Minute Legislative Compromise Opens Door To Liability And Litigation

Due to some last-minute bargaining between state lawmakers and proponents of a controversial data privacy initiative, California businesses will soon need to prepare to comply with a new state measure designed to protect private data of consumers. The new requirements take effect in 2020, but now is the time to begin the process of considering the applicability of these rules to your business and ensuring that your organization is in compliance.

So What Will The New Law Entail?

The new law—passed by the legislature and signed into effect by the governor late yesterday—will not go into effect until 2020, which means there could be follow-up measures that change or clarify certain provisions of the law before it goes into effect. As it stands now, however, the privacy provisions of AB 375 will apply to any business in the State of California that satisfies any of the following: