The California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) went into effect as of January 1, 2020 … have you taken a moment to understand its ramifications? Most of us don’t really want to know about the troves of data being harvested by the apps we rely on in our daily life. It seems futile, (or, even too late), to put a finger in the dam of information flowing away every time we click.
But be bold with the new year: it is the principal that matters. Isn’t it time to fight back in whatever little ways that we can, and while we wait for the federal government to follow CA’s lead and turn this practice around?
TAKE A MOMENT TO OPT OUT: Right now your inbox is inundated with emails asking if you want to OPT OUT of data collection. Hint: YOU DO! Don’t delete the email; instead, take a moment a click around to find out how to opt out. Sometimes they make it tricky (like looking up your account number as if they don’t know exactly who you are). That’s your new right and you should exercise it. It takes a few moments, but feels pretty good.
ONE MORE THING YOU CAN DO: While you are feeling virtuous, take a moment to insure that the apps on your phone are not collecting information about your location unnecessarily. How? Go to PRIVACY, then LOCATION SERVICES and click through the apps that are using your location. Turn this OFF for apps that don’t need to know where you are. Some DO need to know where you are (think map functionality).
Here is a list of questions to help inform you and your family about how to protect yourselves and your data online. And here is an overview from Consumer Reports and one from ReCode, that explains the new consumer rights.
