CCPA

The first and, as of 2020, best local response the United States developed to achieve the same ends as GDPR.

The California Consumer Privacy Act serves as a shot across the bow. Regardless of how well or poorly it is designed, it carries the threat that there will be fifty different versions of it, and that does not include territories, or – much worse – cities and local municipalities.

This potential fragmentation of privacy laws has led some corporations such as Facebook to advocate for the federal government to create a national law that overrides all state and local actions. Such posturing gives such corporations two advantages: they come off looking like they are crusaders for privacy, and such a law would ensure there is only one regulatory framework for corporations to ignore. They can also more easily ensure, through their lobbyists, that the framework has no adverse effect on their business.

Whenever you see any corporation – especially a technology corporation – lobby for more regulation, assume that the outcome will be extremely positive for them and potentially detrimental for their users, consumers, and competition.