Microsoft to apply California privacy rules to all users nationwide

Microsoft said in a blog post Monday that it will apply the protections of a new California privacy law for all users in the U.S. The California Consumer Privacy Act was passed last year, but goes into effect Jan. 1.

Why it matters: The law allows consumers to require companies to disclose what data they are keeping on a consumer, and gives consumers the right to have such data be deleted. Also, starting next July, Californians will be allowed to sue businesses for certain data breaches.

Between the lines: The move isn't a shocker. Microsoft president Brad Smith told me during a Churchill Club interview that California's law would become the "de facto national privacy law."

• Many of the big tech companies have extended the bulk of Europe's GDPR data protection policies for users around the world.

What's next: A California initiative aimed for the November 2020 ballot would go even further.

Go deeper:

• The future of privacy starts in California
• California lawmakers call for new privacy cop
• The global shortage of privacy experts