January 31, 2020 Deadline For Data Brokers To Register In California

A recent amendment to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) requires that data brokers register annually with the Office of the California Attorney General. The AG now has a page to register on its website.

The statute, Civil Code section 1798.99.80,  defines a data broker as “a business that knowingly collects and sells to third parties the personal information of a consumer with whom the business does not have a direct relationship.”   Under the CCPA,  “collect and sells” is poorly defined, but is intended to be broadly applied.   Note:  the statute provides for $100 per day in penalties for failure to register timely. 

The annual deadline to register is January 31.

The statute requires that data brokers provide basic information such as name, primary physical address, email contact information, and  website addresses.  It provides an option for the data broker to include a statement “concerning its data collection practices.” There is also a registration fee.

This e-Bulletin was prepared by Dennis J. Wickham of Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek.  Mr. Wickham is a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the California Lawyers Association.