No CCPA Enforcement Delay due to COVID-19

CA Attorney General will not delay CCPA enforcement due to COVID-19

An expansive new regulation like the California Consumer Privacy Act is inherently difficult to implement, even when a global pandemic isn’t preventing staff from being available on-site to build and test the new systems and processes necessary for compliance. This has resulted in lobbying associations representing nearly every industry affected by CCPA sending a joint letter to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra requesting a temporary forbearance from CCPA enforcement until the crisis has abated.

Despite this, IAPP is reporting that the California Department of Justice plans to begin enforcement at the earliest possible date: "CCPA has been in effect since January 1, 2020. We're committed to enforcing the law starting July 1," an advisor to Becerra is reported to have said. "We encourage businesses to be particularly mindful of data security in this time of emergency.”

Enforcement could have begun as early as January of this year, however the CCPA included language to the effect that enforcement could not begin until 6 months after the Attorney General finalized regulations to interpret and enforce the CCPA, or July 1, 2020, whichever came first. As the AG’s office has been continuing to modify the proposed drafts of these regulations as recently as March 11, 2020, and given repeated comments from that office rebuffing any suggestions of delay, enforcement will almost certainly begin on July 1, 2020.

While CCPA compliance may not be easy to achieve, fines of as much as $7500 per violation (which in many cases could be applied per consumer record), mean non-compliance may cost more than some companies will be able to afford. The privacy experts at Truvantis can help ensure your company isn’t one of those, using a risk based comprehensive approach to privacy compliance based on years of experience helping companies of all sizes meet their privacy compliance objectives. Contact us today for a no cost initial consultation with an experienced privacy expert.