Jon Fox
CALPIRG
Sacramento, CA – Yesterday Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 370 (Muratsuchi) into law. The new law expands on what website operators must include in their privacy policies. Specifically, the California Public Interest Research group (CALPIRG) is pleased to see that websites will now be required to disclose:
“AB 370 is a first step in addressing privacy concerns surrounding online tracking cookies,” said CALPIRG Consumer Advocate Jon Fox.
Online cookies were originally designed to help websites “remember” a consumer for their next visit, speeding up the browsing experience and making it more fluid and enjoyable. Since then, tracking cookies, especially third-party tracking cookies, have become more sophisticated, compiling a record of individuals’ browsing histories, online interactions, movements and interests.
“Many Californians would be surprised to learn how their personal data is collected across platforms and could be used in unexpected and potentially harmful ways,” said Jon Fox. “Some consumers do not wish to be tracked and this bill empowers Californians with the knowledge they need to protect themselves.”
The collection and misuse of our personal data is not an abstract fear. Here are some alarming recent cases that have affected people’s lives:
“While some web browsers allow consumers to tell website operators that they do not wish to be tracked and to block third party cookies, websites are not obligated to respect those requests. AB 370 will let Californians know up-front which websites respect their privacy settings, and which choose to ignore them,” said Jon Fox. “It won’t stop businesses from tracking us online, but it will empower consumers to choose websites and online services that respect our privacy choices.”
In 2011, online advertising industry groups pledged to develop voluntary mechanisms to honor user’s browser-based Do-Not-Track flags. During the past summer, negotiations to set universal Do-Not-Track standards as part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) fell through after little progress was made towards self-regulation. While some companies have decided to move ahead themselves, consensus and clarity around Do-Not-Track standards are still absent. AB 370 closes the gap left by the advertising industry’s refusal to adopt network-wide standards on how to treat Do-Not-Track requests and what sort of behavior constitutes tracking.
To learn more about online tracking, click here.
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The California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) is a result-oriented public interest group that protects consumers, encourages a fair sustainable economy, and fosters responsive democratic governance.
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