California lawmakers enacted strict new privacy rules targeting Facebook, Google, and other tech giants

The new privacy rules would only apply to residents in the Golden State, and they will only take effect in 2020, opening the door for business critics like AT & T, Comcast, Facebook and Google to resume aggressive lobbying to revise it over the next year. The governor has not yet signed the measure.

In the future, privacy protection in California could force technology companies to change their business practices rather than maintain two systems: one in California, the country's most populous state; and another for everyone. Apple, Facebook and Google took a similar approach in May after European regulators began implementing new confidentiality rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR

"I think this will establish standards across the country.The United States, said Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D), one of the authors of the law, before its adoption Thursday.

Under the new rules, the Attorney General of California would play a leading role in monitoring Silicon Valley's privacy practices – and cases, as well as potential fines, when a company like Amazon or Microsoft does not respect the choices protect the privacy of consumers or protect their data against cybercriminals. (The CEO of Amazon Jeffrey P. Bezos owns the Washington Post.) To this end, Hertzberg said that The Attorney General of the State would soon become "the chief privacy officer of the United States."

Legislators ran at unprecedented speed a week – to introduce, amend and adopt their new privacy law to avoid a proposal to vote in California voters in November. The initiative launched by local real estate developer Alastair Mactaggart would have been tougher on the technology industry, even opening the door to consumers to sue if their data had been misused. But Mactaggart agreed during the weekend to withdraw it if lawmakers passed a bill, and the governor signed it on Thursday before the deadline for finalizing votes

throughout the process, giants technological like Facebook, Google and Uber to measure, even by donating to a coalition that sought to undermine it. Reluctantly, however, they came to accept the compromise bill. The Internet Association, a group that represents companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google and Uber, said before the vote that it would not obstruct or block the legislative proposal, but that he would strive to "correct the inevitable and negative consequences of policy and compliance that last-minute agreement will create." "

If the rules do not change, they will give consumers new rights, including the ability to see the types of sources from which companies collect data about them." The law would also introduce new protections for consumers. Adolescents: Companies could not sell personal data of users under the age of 16.

But privacy advocates, and even advocates of the measure, see many items stains. California's new rules would prevent technology companies from offering consumers a lower level of service if they chose not to sell their data to third parties, but a technology company or Internet service provider, such as AT & T or Comcast, may charge higher fees for consumers who choose to limit sharing of their data but only the "value provided by the consumer's data".

"I think this way of paying for privacy is a dangerous and slippery slope," said Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D), although she supported it.

James Steyer, the founder of Common Sense The media and one of the main proponents of the proposal acknowledged that the bill is not "perfect". But Thursday, he said defenders would seek to refine it in the coming year. The goal, he said, is to push the Congress "to consult".

In the nation's capital – where lawmakers have failed for decades to enact a comprehensive federal privacy law – some congressmen have expressed hope woul "I just wish this triggers a real conversation that will lead us to adopt certain principles by November, "said representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), which represents part of Silicon Valley. . He said lawmakers had been "neglected in our duty" on privacy issues.