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THE CALIFORNIA AGE-APPROPRIATE DESIGN CODE

California Privacy Law , ,

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***Update: On September 15, 2022, Governor Newsom signed AB 2273, establishing the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act.

Who It Covers, What It Requires & How It Compares to the UK

Effective July 1, 2024, the California Age-Appropriate Design Code imposes obligations on businesses[1] that provide an “online service, product, or feature” that is “likely to be accessed by children.”[2] Children are defined as California residents[3] “who are under 18 years of age.”[4] The law provides factors for whether an online service, product, or feature (S/P/F) is “likely to be accessed” by California residents under the age of 18:[5]

  • It is directed to children as defined by COPPA.[6]
  • It is determined, based on competent and reliable evidence regarding audience composition, to be routinely accessed by a significant number of children, or it is substantially similar to an online S/P/F that meets this factor.
  • It displays advertisements marketed to children.
  • It has design elements known to be of interest to children, including games, cartoons, music, and celebrities who appeal to children.
  • Based on internal research, a significant amount of the audience is children.

An online S/P/F is defined by what it is not, and the definition notably exempts the “delivery or use of a physical product.”[7] This exemption diverts from the UK version of the law, which covers “connected toys and devices.”[8]

Compared to the UK’s Common-Sense Approach

The US version of the law provides no guidance on what it means for a “significant number of children” to “routinely access[]” the online S/P/F. However, the law makes clear in its legislative findings that covered businesses may look to guidance and innovation in response to the UK version when developing US-covered online S/P/F.[9]

ICO states that the term “likely to be accessed by” is purposefully broad, covering “services that children [are] using in reality,” not just those services specifically targeting children.[10] However, ICO recognizes that the term is not so broad as to “cover all services that children could possibly access.”[11] The key difference is whether it is “more probable than not” that an online S/P/F will be accessed by children, and businesses should take a “common sense approach to this question.”[12]

To illustrate this point:

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Map of the United States - State Privacy Laws

And Then There Were Five…

California Privacy Law, CCPA, Colorado Privacy Act, CPRA, CTDPA, Privacy Law, UCPA, VCDPA , , , , ,

Image Credit: Free-Photos from Pixabay.

Just last summer, in July of 2021, Colorado joined California and Virginia, and became the third U.S. state with a comprehensive consumer privacy law. The Colorado Privacy Act is set to take effect in July 2023.

Hot on its heels, and within just two months of each other, first Utah in March of 2022, now Connecticut in May of 2022, passed privacy bills which will become effective in 2023.

So far, California remains the only state which allows for a private right of action in connection with its privacy bill. For more information, please see our comparison of the current U.S. state consumer privacy laws below.

For our unofficial redline of the CPRA, click here.

Follow these links for the official text of the CPRA, CPA, CTDPA, UCPA, and VCDPA.

To view and download a PDF version of this chart, click here.

Banner for PrivSec Global: A Global Live Stream Experience. 22-23 September 2021. The Largest Data Protection, Privacy and Security Event of 2021. Businesspeople smiling in the background of the banner.

Metaverse Law Speaks at PrivSec Global

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On September 23, 2021 attorney Lily Li spoke at PrivSec Global: The Largest Data Protection, Privacy and Security Event of 2021. The Global Live Stream Experience was a two day event from September 22 to September 23, 2021.

The topic of discussion was “Why Most CCPA Cases Will Fail: Five Hurdles Plaintiffs Must Clear.” For more details on the topic and to watch the presentation on-demand, click here.

Map of the United States - State Privacy Laws

State Privacy Laws in the Wake of the CCPA: A Tough Act to Follow

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Image Credit: Free-Photos from Pixabay.

Hard on the heels of the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) and updated state privacy laws in Nevada and Maine which took effect in 2019, state data privacy legislation is still on the rise.

In November of 2020, California citizens approved the California Privacy Rights and Enforcement Act (CPRA), further amending the CCPA. The CPRA is intended to strengthen privacy regulations in California by creating new requirements for companies that collect and share sensitive personal information. It also creates a new agency, the California Privacy Protection Agency, that will be responsible for enforcing CPRA violations.

Most recently, the Virginia Governor signed the Consumer Data Protection Act into law, thereby making Virginia yet another U.S. state with a comprehensive state privacy law. 

As momentum builds for state privacy laws, 2021 could be the year that privacy laws gain footing across the country, helping Americans exercise control over their digital lives.

Washington’s Privacy Act 2021, SB 5062
**Update: The WPA did not pass the House by the April 11 deadline. On April 12, however, Senator Carlyle tweeted that the “bill remains alive through the end of the session.” The legislature will close on April 25.

*** Update 4/26: The WPA did not pass for the third year in a row, due to the late introduction of a limited private right of action (for injunctive relief). Jump to the bottom of the page for links to other pending state legislation.

The most notable – due to its furthest progression in state legislation – is the current draft of the Washington Privacy Act 2021 (“WPA”). This draft bill is the third version of the act introduced by Washington state Sen. Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle) in as many years.

Scope

The WPA would apply to legal entities that:

Continue Reading State Privacy Laws in the Wake of the CCPA: A Tough Act to Follow
Image of virginia state and shield. Virginia has a new data privacy law.

Virginia Governor Signs Comprehensive Data Privacy Law

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Following hot on the footsteps of the California Privacy Rights Act, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed the Consumer Data Protection Act on Tuesday, making Virginia the second state in the U.S. to pass a comprehensive data privacy law. Below, please see our comparison of the the California Consumer Privacy Act and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act.

CCPA-VCDPA ChartDownload
California Consumer Privacy Act
(CCPA)		California Privacy Rights Act
(CPRA)		Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act
(VCDPA)
Date of effectJanuary 1, 2020January 1, 2023January 1, 2023
Law applies toA “business” that meets at least one threshold below:
• Generates over $25M in annual gross revenue;
• Handles the records of at least 50,000 California consumers; or
• Generates over 50% in annual revenue from sales of consumer data		Same as CCPA, except the threshold for handling records of California consumers increases from 50,000 to 100,000.Applies to businesses that
• Handles the records of at least 100,000 Virginia consumers; or
• Handles the records of at least 25,000 Virginia consumers and derives over 50% in gross revenue from sales of consumer data

Definition of personal data		Any information that could be associated or linked with a particular consumer or household.Same as CCPA, except that there is a reasonableness element:
Any information that could be reasonably associated or linked with a particular consumer or household.		Limited to particular consumers.
“Any information that is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable natural person”
Definition of sensitive personal dataDoes not define sensitive personal data.Defines sensitive personal data to include:
• Social security number
• Driver’s license
number
• Account log-in, debit,
or credit card number in combination with password or PIN
• Precise geolocation
• Racial/ethnic origins
• Religious or
philosophical beliefs
• Union membership
• Contents of e-mails or
texts to others
• Genetic/biometric
data
• Health information
• Sex life/sexual
orientation data		Defines sensitive personal data to include:
• Racial/ethnic origins
• Religious beliefs
• Mental or physical
health diagnosis
• Sexual orientation
• Citizenship/
immigration status
• Genetic/biometric
data
• Children’s data
• Precise geolocation
Consumer rights• Access
• Deletion
• Non-Discrimination
• Opt-out of:
o Sale of personal data		Same as CCPA, with the addition of rights to:
• Correct personal information
• Limit the use of
sensitive personal information		• Access
• Correction
• Deletion
• Port
• Opt-out of:
o Targeted advertising
o Sale of personal data
o Profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal effects
Data Privacy Impact AssessmentsNo requirement to conduct or document.No requirement to conduct or document.Controllers must conduct and document data protection assessments for the following activities:
• Targeted advertising
• Sale of personal data
• Profiling
• Sensitive data
• Catch-all: any data that presents a “heightened risk of harm to consumers.”
Data Protection AuthorityCalifornia Office of the Attorney General$10 million allocated per year to the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA).
Primary enforcement and rulemaking abilities shift from the California Attorney General to the CPPA.		Virginia Office of the Attorney General
Cure Provision30 days to cure upon written notice of a violation by the California Attorney General’s office.Ability to cure removed from CPRA.30 days to cure upon written notice of a violation by Virginia Attorney General’s office.
EnforcementAdministrative fines ranging from $2,500 per violation to $7,500 for intentional violations.Administrative fines of $7,500 now includes intentional violations and children’s data violations.Administrative fines of $7,500 per violation.
Private Right of ActionConsumers have a private right of action for the unauthorized disclosure of nonencrypted and nonredacted personal information.Same as CCPA.Consumers do NOT have a private right of action.
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