California just passed what's being called one of the strongest data privacy bills in the country.
The California Consumer Privacy Act cracks down on the power that companies like Facebook and Google have to harvest data. It requires they give consumers more information about their data if requested and gives people more choice in what happens with it.
The bill states consumers can "request a business to disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information that it collects." Consumers can also request their data be deleted and opt out of the sale of their data.
The bill is now headed to Gov. Jerry Brown. If it becomes law, it will go into effect Jan. 1, 2020, and companies that break its rules could be penalized up to $7,500 per violation.
