Poll Results: Security and Privacy

3/15/2019
The California Consumer Privacy Act is a new law that takes effect in 2020. Proponents point to three benefits for Golden State consumers. It gives them ownership of their personal information – including the right to tell a business not to sell or share personal data. It gives them control. And it holds businesses responsible for safeguarding their personal information.

The latest HBSDealer poll question asks: "What’s your take on the California Consumer Privacy Act?” Here are the responses:

• 48%: It's excessive, over-reaching and dangerous;
• 37%: It's a necessary move to protect consumers, finally;
• 15%: It's not a big deal.

Some 60 readers participated in the survey.

The National Retail Federation and the California Retailers Association object to the new law.  These groups maintain that the law would take from consumers the value of data-driven targeted promotions, while putting retailers at risk of excessive fines.

“Virtually all retail customers are willing to yield some personal data in exchange for more personalized service or tangible benefits like discounts or instant coupons,” NRF Senior Vice President for Government Affairs David French said. “The California privacy law, as currently written, will end these popular and valuable benefits.”

The law, which was passed last summer and is scheduled to take effect in January 2020, places sweeping restrictions on how retailers and other businesses can collect and use information about consumers.

According to the NRF and CRA, the new law may saddle businesses with penalties of between $100 and $750 per consumer per data breach incident. And in a letter to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the associations warned about “enormous and financially ruinous damage awards without regard to the size of the business, the circumstances of the breach or mitigating factors such as the good faith or level of cooperation of the business.”

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