The California Consumer Privacy Act Series – Part 1: Applicability

This is Squire Patton Boggs’s Data Privacy, Cybersecurity & Digital Assets Group’s first update in a monthly series that will break down the major elements of the CCPA. This alert focuses on the CCPA’s applicability. Stay tuned for additional information about the CCPA.

California’s new privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”), goes into effect on January 1, 2020.  It is the most expansive state privacy law in U.S. history, imposing GDPR-like transparency and individual rights requirements on companies.  The law will impact nearly every entity that handles “personal information” regarding California residents, including (at least for now) employees.  An overview of the CCPA’s applicability is set forth below, including who the CCPA will impact, how the Act defines personal information, and if the CCPA has any exemptions.