Haven’t you noticed the influx of emails from all of the major corporations regarding “Updates in Privacy Policy” disclosures?
There is a reason major corporations are bombarding consumers with updates in privacy policy disclosures…meet the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Over a dozen states have proposed or are in the process of implementing privacy laws to protect the “personally identifiable data” of its citizens. Each law has distinctive requirements as well as specific penalties for non compliance. Some states are proposing businesses be fined over $5,000 per infringement (per website user). Some states are proposing “private right of action” (meaning citizens of that state can sue businesses anywhere in the US). This rate of change can be difficult and expensive to keep up with.
Meet the CCPA, the first of many newly effective laws of 2020: Enacted in 2018 , the CCPA was signed into State law, giving Californian’s ( nearly 40 million people ) the strongest data privacy rights in the country. This new law went into effect January 1st, 2020, which creates new “consumer rights relating to the access to, deletion of, and sharing of personal information that is collected by business”. However, as with many policy changes, many businesses and Government agencies are unprepared and exposed to potential fines and law suits.
Important Dates
The CCPA’s effective date is 01/01/2020.
The CCPA’s enforcement date is 07/01/2020.
Does the CCPA Apply to My Business?
Businesses are subject to the CCPA if one or more of the following are true:
- Has gross annual revenues in excess of $25 million;
- Buys, receives, or sells the personal information of 50,000 or more consumers, households, or devices;
- Derives 50 percent or more of annual revenues from selling consumers’ personal information.
* As proposed by the draft regulations, businesses that handle the personal information of more than 4 million consumers will have additional obligations.
The CCPA can also apply to you if you are required to comply with it via a contract. For example, if you are a vendor to a larger organization that is required to comply with the CCPA, that organization may require you to comply with the law by contract.
How Can My Company Prepare For CCPA Compliance?
Whether the CCPA applies to your business or not; having solid Privacy Policies, Terms of Service, and Disclaimers protects your business, limit your liability,and aids you in avoiding massive fines and lawsuits. Imagine having self-updating, proactive policies in place so when the law changes so do your policies. Doesn’t that offer peace of mind?
PointClick Digital LLC has partnered with Termageddon, whom offer exactly that, making worries about whether you’re business is up to date, compliant with current laws, and whether your intellectual property is covered, a thing of the past.
Essentially, websites that ask for contact information such as a ‘name’ and ’email’ address on a contact form are collecting Personally Identifiable Information and need to not only have a compliant Privacy Policy, but also need a strategy to keep their policy up to date when these laws are added or changed.
With dynamically updating policies in place, it saves time and money, while simultaneously ensuring compliance and the comfort of knowing your business is protected.
We highly recommend Termageddon and rely on their services to keep our websites safe.
