California Governor Signs Law Requiring In-Browser Opt-Out Preference Signal

Jessica Lee, Loeb’s chief privacy & security partner and chair of the firm’s Privacy, Security & Data Innovations practice, is featured in an article published by IAPP discussing new privacy-focused legislation—California Assembly Bill 656, also known as the California Opt Me Out Act—which requires social media companies to implement easier account cancellation mechanisms that automatically delete users’ personal data. 

In the article, Jessica emphasized the complexity of implementing opt-out mechanisms, noting that "there is no easy button for opt-outs." She underscored the importance of properly informing consumers about how the universal OOPS mechanism functions "so that they [the consumers] understand that they may need to do more than just send the signal from a browser on one device if they really want to be opted-out," she added.

Jessica further cautioned about the potential confusion multiple signals could create: "If browsers adopt and send multiple opt-out signals it will become hard for website operators to discern which signals are valid." To address this, she suggested, “It would be great to see alignment on one standard so operators can build their sites to respond to a predictable set of signals."

To read the full article, please see IAPP’s website.