The CPRA is coming into effect soon, and the data privacy scenario in the USA is going to be transformed forever. What does this mean for businesses that fall within the ambit of this law? That is exactly what we will be discussing here but let us drive back a bit to understand the bigger picture. The advent and widespread proliferation of the internet have revolutionized the world as we knew it before, and our lives have never been the same. Nowadays, almost every aspect of our daily lives is affected by the internet in some form or other, and businesses have realized the massive potential that the internet packs like no one else.
Businesses that operate online, or have a significant online presence rely on consumer data. There are several reasons why they collect this data, some of them being to tailor their products and services to suit the target audience’s tastes and preferences, while targeted advertisements and marketing campaigns are a thing as well, something which is done to lure the customers in to make purchases or transactions.
Herein lies the problem and a lack of transparency regarding the collection and usage of data raised several concerns, the main among them being that of data privacy and data protection. Several states and countries around the world came around to this concept pretty soon, and several laws and regulations were enacted to protect the individual’s rights relating to data privacy and protection, and the EU’s GDPR or General Data Protection Regulations became one of the first proper data privacy legislation to come into effect.
Pretty soon, several other countries and states boarded the bandwagon as well, and California became the second significant government to enact these laws, named the CCPA or the California Consumer Protection Act. This was the first of its kind when it came to data privacy regulations in the USA, and although several states enacted their version of the data privacy regulations, the CCPA continues to be one of the most pioneering when it comes to the North American continent.
But the Californian legislators weren’t satisfied with the ambit of the CCPA, and they planned on enacting the CPRA California, also known as the California Privacy Rights Act. This aims to piggyback on the CCPA and is expected to be enforced on Jan 1st, 2023. Here, we will be taking a look at the various features of this new act and try to understand what it means for businesses and individuals alike.
What is the CPRA?
This is a ballot proposition that managed to secure a majority of the votes in the general election of the states and was conceptualized as a piggyback to the CCPA. The CCPA is one of the best data privacy acts that is currently enforced in the country, and the CPRA California just intends to make it better.
Since the CCPA was the first of its kind to ever be established, there were several exclusions from the final draft of the law, something that needed to be rectified, and this is where the California Privacy Rights Act comes into the picture. Now, let us take a look at the intentions of this act.
- This law allows people to learn who is collecting their personal data, how those data sets are being used, and to whom those data sets are disclosed. This act also allows for kids’ data as well, that too within the same package.
- The individual, once they have learned about the data that has been collected, can dictate how the data is used daily. In fact, they can go as far as limiting how their personal data is used by the company for their commercial activities.
- Once the individuals have an idea about the data that has been collected about them, they can ask the business to correct, delete, or migrate the data to a different location they may wish. This is a major addition and companies that fall under the ambit of this law, need to do to needful to ensure CPRA compliance.
- This act offers several self-serve tools that can be accessed and used by individuals to enforce their data privacy rights. This improves accessibility, and that furthers the goal of the act.
- There was a major concern among individuals before the advent of CPRA compliance guidelines, and that was related to rebuttal and penalizations. Fortunately, this has been done away with, and individuals can exercise this right of theirs without doubt or fear.
- The act can penalize businesses if they do not adhere to the laws, and this gives a certain aspect of power to the cpra act.
- The business’ collects data from their client to deliver better products overall, and to that end, the CPRA California can prove to be pretty effective. The law can boost confidence in the system, thereby ensuring that commerce remains unaffected.
- Even as employees and contractors, the law protects their personal data, thereby protecting them from any potential data breaches and compromises.
The law provides for a fine of 7,500 USD for every infringement that takes place and provides several other guidelines as well, something that the businesses must adhere to ensure copra compliance.
Final take:
The CPRA California is being implemented with the motive of improving the CCPA, and this would go a long way in ensuring data privacy in the USA. For businesses that are already compliant with the GDPR, the procedures should be pretty simple as the cpra builds on the CCPA itself, and a lot of the features overlap as well. A comprehensive software suite that includes tools and systems like cookie consent management, can help businesses adhere to these regulations, and if you want such a suit for your business, you can learn more about them online.
