This week, supporters of the California Consumer Privacy Act submitted 625,000 signatures statewide in an effort to qualify for the November ballot.
Alastair Mactaggart, lead sponsor of the initiative said, "Today is a major step forward in our campaign, and an affirmation that California voters care deeply about the fundamental privacy protections provided in the California Consumer Privacy Act."
The California Consumer Privacy Act does many things including these essential points:
- Establishes the right to know what information big businesses are collecting about you, your devices and your children;
- Gives you the ability to tell companies to stop selling your personal information; and
- Empowers you to hold companies accountable for data breaches and breaking the law.
Mactaggart noted, "This initiative will give consumers a real choice about whether they want their private information bought and sold by companies they’ve never heard of, will help shine a light onto the business of data brokerage, and will empower California consumers to protect their sensitive personal information.”
Big Tech Rallies Against Privacy Initiative
Several Big Tech corporations are funding the opposition to the Privacy Act including Google, AT&T, Comcast and Verizon.
In April, Facebook dropped their opposition funding to the privacy measure after revelations that they had breached the data of 87 million of their own users.