CA bill could give Californians unprecedented control over data

Lawmakers in CA have introduced a sweeping privacy bill to the state legislature that would give Californians unprecedented control over their data and reign in the power of their Silicon Valley neighbors. The bill would allow California residents to find out what information businesses and data brokers collect about them, where that information comes from, and how it's shared. It would give people the power to ask for their data to be deleted and to order businesses to stop selling their personal information. It places limits on selling data on users younger than 16 years of age, and prohibits businesses from denying service to users for exercising their rights under the bill.

For now, the legislation only applies to California residents. But as long as congressional gridlock stifles any efforts to develop nationwide privacy rules in Washington, bill co-sponsor CA State Sen Robert Hertzberg (D-CA-40) expects this bill to serve as a model for other state governments. "Once this is done, you'll see a copy of this bill passed in all 50 capitols, because we don't have confidence in the federal government," he says. "There’s been a real resurgence in states being the incubators of democracy."