In an age where data traffic volumes are higher than the road traffic, the lack of a comprehensive privacy law has long been a case of concern for general census. But this seems to be changing soon as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), comes into effect from January 1, 2020. This is a baby step towards solving the larger problem, but it is a start, nevertheless. Among the first few to support this law are Microsoft. A statement made by Julie Brill, Corporate Vice President for Global Privacy and Regulatory Affairs and Chief Privacy Officer at Microsoft said, “Microsoft honors CCPA compliance and is committed towards handing data privacy rights in their (peoples) own hands.”
“We are strong supporters of California’s new law and the expansion of privacy protections in the United States that it represents. Our approach to privacy starts with the belief that privacy is a fundamental human right and includes our commitment to provide robust protection for every individual. This is why, in 2018, we were the first company to voluntarily extend the core data privacy rights included in the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to customers around the world, not just to those in the EU who are covered by the regulation. Similarly, we will extend CCPA’s core rights for people to control their data to all our customers in the U.S.”
This new law will give consumers the right to control their personal data and information. Following are some of the key rights that CCPA will empower consumers with:
Right to Ownership: Protect your right to tell a business not to share or sell your personal information.
Right to Control: Gain control over the personal information that is collected about you.
Right to Security: Hold businesses responsible for safeguarding your personal information.
Julie further says, “We (Microsoft) are optimistic that the California Consumer Privacy Act — and the commitment we are making to extend its core rights more broadly — will help serve as a catalyst for even more comprehensive privacy legislation in the U.S. As important a milestone as CCPA is, more remains to be done to provide the protection and transparency needed to give people confidence that businesses respect the privacy of their personal information and can be trusted to use it appropriately.
In addition to guaranteeing the rights of individuals to control their personal information, we believe privacy laws should be further strengthened by placing more robust accountability requirements on companies. This includes making companies minimize the data they collect about people, specify the purposes for which they are collecting and using people’s data, and making them more responsible for analyzing and improving data systems to ensure that they use personal data appropriately.”
 will be effective from Jan 1, 2020. Microsoft says that it will honor CCPA compliance throughout U.S.){kind=link}