Since the beginning of the year, Internet users in California have received a special notification each time they visit a new site. " Hello. We are updating our practices to protect your privacy rights and to provide greater transparency on how we collect, process and use individual data. Classic in Europe, the possibility of refusing cookies and tracking is now available to Californians.
Since 1st January, the Golden State moved to European time for privacy on the Internet. It is the first American state to introduce regulations similar to the European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which entered into force in the EU in May 2018. The only difference – and significant – with the latter is the 'obligation for companies to post on their site a link saying: "Do not sell my data". At a European level, the more ambiguous regulations propose to "accept" the cookie policy.
The bosses are supporters
Adopted in June 2018, California law gives citizens the right to know what data is collected about them by companies, to which it is sold and to demand that it be deleted. They can refuse to have their information transferred to a third party without automatically losing access to the site. The company has no right to retaliate but can, however, apply what has taken the name "Exceptional Spotify", from the name of the music platform: different prices depending on the volume of information that the user is ready to share.
In the land of "misdeeds" of Facebook and other platforms, elected officials had deemed it urgent to introduce restrictions
Known as the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), the privacy law had been passed unanimously by both chambers: in the land of “misdeeds” of Facebook and other platforms eager to track down consumer habits for advertising purposes, the elected officials had deemed it urgent to introduce restrictions, especially since they were under pressure from a group of citizens who had gathered enough signatures to impose a popular referendum on the question.
The tech giants, who initially opposed their lobbies for regulation, rallied, including Facebook, which stopped funding a group of opponents soon after the Cambridge Analytica affair began. As the tide has turned, all bosses are now in favor of a federal privacy law. In a column published by the Time, Apple CEO Tim Cook even suggested creating a body to oversee brokers, these intermediaries who buy and sell data on user habits.
