Businesses across the U.S. panned California’s new consumer-privacy legislation, saying it risked far-reaching damage to everything from retailers’ customer-loyalty programs to data gathering by Silicon Valley tech giants.
The bill, which was introduced one week before it was passed and was largely sold as a way to rein in big tech firms, sweeps up a range of businesses. It requires them to offer consumers options to opt out of sharing personal information, and it gives Californians the right to prohibit the sale of their personal data.
Companies late last week were working out what they now may need to do to strengthen their privacy practices, or, in the case of some Silicon Valley firms, preparing to lobby hard for changes to the law before it takes effect in 2020. One attorney said many law firms see the new bill as generating a “bonanza” in fees as companies rush to either comply or push for changes.
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