What You Need to Do to Get CCPA Compliant?

Cybersecurity is an issue that’s on everyone’s mind. If you visit a web site, it seems that you are forever haunted by emails, ads and other forms of artificial intelligence. For many consumers, this begs the questions, ‘what type of information are companies gathering about me?’, and ‘what is being done to protect my privacy?’.

To answer the call, the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) will be going into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. It will allow Americans to demand information on what personal data has been collected on them and request that that data be deleted.

As one can imagine, this will have a huge impact on U.S. business and privacy norms. There is also a lot of confusion regarding how the law can be enforced and how it will affect consumerism on a daily basis.

This article might not answer every question you have regarding the CCPA, but it can provide valuable information on how it will affect businesses and consumers and what you can do to get your business CCPA compliant. Read on to find out more.

How Does the CCPA Work?

Here’s a bit about how the CCPA can be put into practical use.

Consumers can go to any company and ask them to disclose the data they are collecting by using a web site or phone number. Companies will also have to put a ‘Do Not Sell My Personal Information’ button on their Maintain websites and delete the data if the customer asks them to. This can in no way shape or form affect how the company treats the individual as a customer.

Here are some examples of the types of data consumers can request companies to delete:

  • Biometrics
  • Internet browsing history
  • Products purchased or considered for purchase
  • Location
  • Academic and employment information
  • Any information collected to create a profile that reflects the individual’s preferences

Does the CCPA Only Apply to California?

Technically yes, the CCPA only applies to California residents. However, because the internet connects us worldwide, it will also affect companies that do business with California businesses and residents. Because this is such a slippery slope, and because California is such a huge consumer market, lawyers are in consensus that the CCPA should be applied nationwide.

Does Every Company Have to Implement CCPA?

No. The CCPA will only apply to large companies that make the sale of data a core part of their business. This includes the following:

  • Companies with over $25 million in gross revenue
  • Businesses with data on more than 50,000 consumers
  • Firms that make more than 50% of their revenue selling consumer data.

What Does CCPA Compliance Mean for Businesses?

In order for businesses to become CCPA compliant, they will have to update their privacy policies and do a lot of work to figure out what data they have on customers. All in all, it will be a major expense and a time-consuming process. For businesses like Google and Facebook who collect data for targeted advertising, this could pose a serious threat to their business model.

Companies that refuse to comply with the law could be facing fines of up to $7500. In addition, individuals can sue for anywhere from $100 to $750 if a company that is holding their information gets hacked.

While many agree that violators of the CCPA will be hard to police, if nothing else, it is a scare tactic that is enough to get most companies on board.

What Can I Do to Become CCPA Compliant?

If you are a company who is fearing the coming changes, we can’t tell you that becoming CCPA isn’t a huge undertaking. Companies must start by verifying customer’s identities, finding all records about the person in their system and sending all the data to that customer or deleting it. It’s not an easy task, but there are services available that can make the process easier.

If you are looking for a web design company that can make sure your site is CCPA compliant, Byte Technology can help.

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