California Governor Newsom signed a bill on Wednesday that requires web browsers to set up a more convenient and unified "opt-out" mechanism for California residents, allowing users to choose with one click to prohibit third parties from selling their personal data.
Since the enactment of the California Consumer Privacy Act in 2018, California residents have had the right to send a signal to opt out of data sharing, but mainstream browsers have not previously been required to provide users with an easy-to-use choice. The new law will require browsers to set up an easy-to-find one-click rejection mechanism. Users do not need to repeat operations on different websites and only need to make a one-time selection.
Privacy and consumer advocates have been watching the bill closely. The bill was passed by the California Assembly on September 11, becoming the first such law in the United States. Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year that would have been broader and also covered mobile operating systems.
Matt Schwartz, a policy analyst at Consumer Reports, a consumer rights organization, said: "This signal will reach more people and it will become easier to choose to refuse data sharing." Previously, if users wanted to set a unified refusal setting, they had to download a third-party browser plug-in or use a browser that emphasizes privacy protection.
In addition to the new browser bill, Newsom also signed a number of laws related to data privacy that day:
A law requires social media companies to simplify the account cancellation process and ensure that user data is completely deleted after the cancellation.
The other strengthens California's data broker registration law, giving consumers more information about which data brokers collect their data and who has access to that data.