Governor Signs Groundbreaking Privacy Bill Making It Easier for Californians to Protect Their Personal Data
SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Newsom signed the California Opt Me Out Act (AB 566, Lowenthal), making California the first state in the nation to require browsers to offer users a simple, built-in way to tell websites not to sell or share their personal information.
The California Opt Me Out Act, sponsored by the California Privacy Protection Agency, closes a major gap in privacy protections. It requires browsers operating in California to offer easy-to-use opt-out preference signals (OOPS) that allow users to automatically communicate their privacy preferences to websites. When enabled, OOPS tells websites not to sell or share the user’s personal information.
This legislation makes California the first state to tackle this practical challenge that consumers face in exercising their existing privacy rights. Currently, Californians who want to protect their data online must indicate this on every website they visit or rely on one of a handful of browsers that currently offer OOPS.
“Every Californian deserves control over their personal information without having to jump through countless hoops,” said Tom Kemp, the Agency’s Executive Director. “This law puts the power back in consumers’ hands and makes exercising your privacy rights at scale as simple as clicking a button in your browser.”
The California Consumer Privacy Act grants consumers the right to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their data, and California is currently one of a dozen states that require businesses to honor requests made using OOPS. However, for most people, finding and enabling these signals has been difficult. The new law ensures that Californians can exercise this right effectively by making these signals easily accessible to everyone.
“This law recognizes that privacy rights are meaningless if they’re too difficult to use,” said Maureen Mahoney, Deputy Director of Policy & Legislation. “California is once again leading the nation in protecting consumers’ digital privacy.”
When the law takes effect in January 2027, Californians will see new privacy options in web browsers. When enabled, these controls will automatically inform websites of their privacy preferences, helping to protect personal information from being sold to data brokers and other third parties. This means they will be able to protect their data — like their browsing history, location data, purchase history, and personal interests — across the entire internet with a single step.
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The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) is committed to promoting the education and awareness of consumers' privacy rights and businesses' responsibilities under the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Individuals can visit privacy.ca.gov to access helpful and up–to–date information on how to exercise their rights and protect their personal information. In addition, the Agency's website provides important information about CPPA board meetings, announcements, and the rulemaking process.