A guide on CCPA compliance for small company owners

Many businesses’ data privacy policies will be drastically altered as a result of a new California law that goes into effect on January 1, 2020. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) will apply to businesses that meet any of the following criteria:

Their annual gross revenue exceeds $25 million.
They obtain, purchase, sell, or distribute personal information from at least 50,000 California residents.
They make at least half of their money by selling the personal information of state citizens.

Companies must be in compliance by the new year, but there is a six-month grace period before the California attorney general initiates enforcement. To guarantee CCPA compliance, it is critical to begin planning early.

CCPA Compliance Procedures

While many small businesses will not meet the criteria for companies affected by the law, there are several steps business owners can take to ensure compliance by the time the law’s enforcement period begins:

1. Recognize the extent of the legislation

First, you must comprehend the legislation. Most significantly, you must comprehend the wide meaning of “personal information,” which is defined as any information that “identifies, relates to, describes, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, to a specific consumer or household.” Personal data encompasses, but is not limited to:

Personal identifiers (names, aliases, addresses, e-mail addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and so on)
Biometric details
Geolocation
Information about employment
Commercial details
Internet or network use
Information that is audible, electrical, optical, thermal, or olfactory
Personal identifying education information that is not publicly accessible
Information that may be deduced from any of the preceding

2. Educate your workers

workers who handle client requests concerning data privacy policies (deleting information, opting out, etc.) and workers who are accountable for the company’s compliance must get particular training to comprehend the legislation, according to the CCPA. In general, this regulation will need training for all customer service employees and anybody in charge of legal compliance.

It is important that you know which workers have jobs involving personal data in order to guarantee that everyone who has to go through training does so. Employee training should begin far before enforcement starts to assist guarantee that you are not penalized or faced with a consumer lawsuit.

3. Be aware of the penalties

Penalties for noncompliance with the CCPA may reach $7,500 for willful offenses and $2,500 for inadvertent infractions, which are enforced by the California attorney general. Consumers have the right to take individual action against non-compliant enterprises, and they may sue the corporation if a data breach happens as a result of negligence.

Although it may appear daunting at first, dividing your effort into these simple and manageable steps will put you on the road to CCPA compliance. Consult a lawyer if you have any queries concerning CCPA compliance.