Consumer groups seek to defend California data privacy law
- Ina Fried, author of Axios Login
A collection of consumer groups has written a letter to California lawmakers urging them to keep the strong protections in a state law due to take effect next year.
Why it matters: The California law, if left largely as is, could usher in a range of new consumer protections. However, direct marketers and tech companies, working through various entities, have been seeking to water down the law.
The latest: A coalition of 10 consumer groups has written to California State Senate leader Toni Atkins encouraging legislators to explore the background of the Nonprofit Alliance, a group that has been pushing to have the law weakened.
"We are asking that the Nonprofit Alliance release their financial information; explain their ties to corporate donors; and clarify their leadership, mission, and membership."— The groups write in a letter
Among those signing the letter:
- ACLU of California, Center for Digital Democracy
- Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
- Consumer Action
- Common Sense
- Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
The big picture: The threat of the California law has been the biggest impetus pushing Congress to take federal action. Any weakening of California's law could reduce the pressure on Congress to act.
Go deeper: Axios' Deep Dive on data privacy