California Lawmakers Urged To Reject Attempts To Weaken Privacy Law

California should reject requests by industry groups to water down the state's new privacy law, a coalition of 20 advocacy groups said in a new letter to lawmakers. "The sky is not falling, as industry suggests," said the ACLU of California, Berkeley Media Studies Group, Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge and other advocacy groups. "The law and its particulars do not pose a threat to the California economy," they write. "California has a long tradition of leading the nation on privacy laws as well as having a thriving economy." The California measure, passed in late June and slated to take effect in January 2020, allows consumers to learn what personal information about them is held by businesses, and to opt out of the sale of that information. Even though the new law has already been signed, it's still subject to revision through a "technical corrections" process. In theory, that process is supposed to correct non-substantive mistakes.