News form the GCVCC Legislative Advocacy Committee

The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce (GCVCC) Business Legislative Advocacy Committee has announced its opposition to California Proposition 24, Consumer Personal Information Law and Agency Initiative.

Proposition 24, also known as the California Privacy Rights and Enforcement Act of 2020, would expand or amend the provisions of the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), create the California Privacy Protection Agency, and remove the ability of businesses to fix violations before being penalized for violations. The ballot initiative would require businesses to do the following:

• Not share a consumer’s personal information upon the consumer’s request.
• Provide consumers with an opt-out option for having their sensitive personal information, as defined in law, used or disclosed for advertising or marketing.
• Obtain permission before collecting data from consumers who are younger than 16.
• Obtain permission from a parent or guardian before collecting data from consumers who are younger than 13.
• Correct a consumer’s inaccurate personal information upon the consumer’s request.

The GCVCC appreciates and understands the need and desire for consumer privacy, especially that of minors. However, with anything, there must be balance. This ballot initiative will create additional challenges for businesses of all sizes to comply with and operate under.  From website data to email distribution list, digital marketing increasingly relies on consumer data to track and market to consumers.  Understanding the digital landscape is difficult enough without adding additional layers of data privacy rules that in most instances consumers do not even want.

The chamber is further concerned with the State being allowed to penalize businesses who may unknowingly register a mistake in data collection, without providing any period of time to remedy the error.  This ballot initiative is decidedly unfriendly to business interest, especially under-resourced small businesses that do not have an army of IT and legal professionals at their fingertips.  The GCVCC must respectfully oppose Proposition 24 as it appears on the November 2020 ballot.