Calif. Privacy Draft Edits Concern Consumer Watchdog

Consumer Watchdog raised concerns with recent changes to draft California privacy rules required by the 2020 California Privacy Rights Act. The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) board is scheduled to weigh proposed rules at meetings Friday, Saturday and Nov. 4 (see 2210240068). The agency “needs to get these rules right and these last-minute proposals would weaken otherwise tough rules in favor of California privacy rights,” Consumer Watchdog’s Justin Kloczko said Tuesday. One concerning change removes a proposed requirement that a business displays whether it processed a consumer’s opt-out, said the privacy advocate’s report. “But this simple notification will protect consumers from going through additional opt-out steps if they are unsure their rights have been honored” and will help them “flag websites for enforcement by the CPPA if those rights are not honored.” The consumer group is also concerned with the board proposing to delete a requirement that businesses identify third parties that collect personal information. “Consumers deserve to know who exactly will be handling their personal information when exercising their rights,” Kloczko said.