The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), passed in 2020, took effect on January 1, 2023, and enforcement began on July 1, 2023. If your website collects data from California residents, compliance is required. That includes a clear privacy policy, user control over data selling and sharing, visible opt-out tools, and honoring opt-out requests.
Most people recognize these features without giving them much thought. Cookie pop-ups and preference banners are common ways to present privacy choices. Under CPRA, a clear opt-out mechanism is mandatory, including links like “Your Privacy Choices” and valid opt-out preference signals.
Your Responsibility Under CPRA
Organizations may fall under CPRA if they meet any of these thresholds:
- Have gross annual revenue of $25.625 million or more for the preceding calendar year.
- Buy, sell, or share the personal information of more than 100,000 California residents or households in a year.
- Earn half or more of annual revenue from selling or sharing California consumer data.
These rules apply even if a company has no physical presence in California but interacts with its residents online. Nonprofits and government agencies are generally exempt.
Once in scope, businesses must provide clear privacy disclosures, honor user requests to access, delete, or correct their information, and allow consumers to opt out of data sharing. They must also support the right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information. If your privacy policy hasn’t been updated recently, or your site lacks a compliant opt-out tool, you may already be out of compliance.
Why It Matters
Customers expect transparency, and compliance is being actively enforced.
CPRA enforcement is active, and penalties for noncompliance are substantial.
How Starkmedia Helps
Our focus is on ensuring your website is technically equipped to meet CPRA standards. That includes implementing best-in-class tools like OneTrust to manage cookie consent and updating your site to support transparency, access, correction, and opt-out functionality.
If you are collecting data online, especially from California residents, this should already be a priority.
If your website is not CPRA-ready, now is the time to bring it into compliance. Starkmedia can help you do it right. Contact us to learn more.
