Calif. Privacy Agency Fines Tractor Supply $1.35M for CCPA Violations
The California Privacy Protection Agency assessed its largest-ever penalty, ordering Tractor Supply Co. to pay a $1.35 million fine and change its business practices, the CPPA said Tuesday.
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The CPPA Board’s decision said the Tennessee-based rural lifestyle retailer failed to maintain a privacy policy notifying consumers of their rights; notify California job applicants of their privacy rights and how to exercise them; and provide consumers with an effective opt-out mechanism, including through universal opt-out preference signals. Also, the retailer disclosed personal information to other companies without entering into contracts that sufficiently protect privacy, the agency said.
Tractor Supply agreed to pay the fine and “implement broad remedial measures, such as scanning its digital properties to inventory tracking technologies, and require a corporate officer or director to certify compliance annually for the next four years,” the agency said.
"Tractor Supply takes our responsibilities to our Team Members, customers and applicants seriously," a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We are committed to complying with all privacy laws and protecting the trust placed in us. The Company has already addressed the issues raised by the state of California."
The enforcement action came about two months after the CPPA filed a court petition alleging that Tractor Supply, which has more than 2,500 outlets in 49 states, failed to comply with an investigative subpoena seeking information about its compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (see 2508060070). The agency said it will end that litigation given Tuesday’s resolution.
“We made it an enforcement priority to investigate whether businesses are properly implementing privacy rights, and this action underscores our ongoing commitment to doing that for consumers and job applicants alike,” said Michael Macko, the CPPA’s enforcement head. At a CPPA Board meeting Friday, Macko revealed that the agency has “hundreds” of investigations open, and in most instances, the targeted businesses don’t know about them yet (see 2509260039).