Calif. Assembly OKs Bill Requiring Privacy Opt-Out Setting on Browsers
The California Assembly on Thursday approved a bill that would require web browsers to include a setting that consumers could activate to automatically opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal data and limit the use of their sensitive personal information. AB-566 passed on a 53-1 vote and now heads to the Senate.
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Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D) sponsored the bill that mandates an opt-out preference signal (OOPS). The California Opt Me Out Act would update the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018.
In addition to web browsers, the bill was meant to cover mobile operating systems, but that language was removed Monday through an amendment (see 2506030035).
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) expressed support for the Opt Me Out Act and legislation with similar language last year that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed (see 2502130036).
Earlier in the session, AB-566 received unanimous and bipartisan support from the California Assembly Privacy Committee (see 2504020054). The Assembly Appropriations Committee also unanimously cleared the bill at the end of April (see 2504240019).
CPPA Executive Director Tom Kemp said offering opt-out rights helps create empowered consumers. He sees momentum for AB-566 to pass this year (see 2505010043). In a LinkedIn post Thursday, Kemp celebrated the Assembly's approval of the bill. "This is a big win for Global Privacy Control and for the goal of operationalizing privacy by enabling consumers to exercise their privacy rights in an easy-to-use and scalable manner," he posted.
However, according to a bill analysis, opponents of AB-566, such as the California Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations, argue that Proposition 24 allowed for the voluntary use of opt-out signals.