Why We Support the California Opt Me Out Act

Every day, websites collect information about you, including what you search for, what you click on, and what you buy. That data can be sold or shared in ways you didn’t expect, sometimes revealing incredibly personal things about you.

The California Privacy Protection Agency believes that protecting your privacy should be easier. That’s why we support the California Opt Me Out Act (AB 566), by Assembly Member Josh Lowenthal, which would help Californians take control of their personal information with just one click.

How it Works

AB 566 would require internet browsers to include a built-in privacy setting called an opt-out preference signal, or OOPS for short. With this one setting turned on, your browser automatically tells websites you visit: “Don’t sell or share my personal data.” You just set it once, and your preference is sent everywhere you go online — and thanks to the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), businesses must honor OOPS.

It also requires browser engines to include this setting. A browser engine is used to display web content in web applications, from internet browsers, to mobile browsers, to a large majority of mobile applications — meaning that the bill would enable consumers to opt-out of the sale and sharing of their data by most apps in a single step.

Why it Matters

Businesses’ collection, use, and disclosure of consumers’ personal information can reveal deeply sensitive insights into racial or ethnic identity, general and reproductive health, religion, immigration status, military service, political affiliations, and more. It can be sold, resold, and used in ways you may not expect.

So, while protecting your personal information is important, it can also feel overwhelming. For example, currently, if you want to use an OOPS, you either have to use a less common privacy-focused browser or download a browser plugin created by third-party developers, which can sometimes introduce additional privacy and security concerns. Consumers do not have access to OOPS on their phones at all.

Without OOPS, you must indicate your privacy preferences individually to hundreds, if not thousands, of different websites and apps, asking them to stop the sale or sharing of your personal information.

AB 556 Changes That

If passed by the California Legislature and signed into law by Governor Newsom, OOPS will become a standard feature on all browsers and browser engines, so that Californians can easily take advantage of these protections. It gives you a powerful, easy-to-use tool to stop your personal information from being sold or shared — just like the CCPA promised.

That’s why we need AB 566. It will meaningfully increase Californians’ consumer privacy by giving them direct access to OOPS on both browsers and browser engines, providing consumers with the necessary tools to exercise their opt-out rights outlined in the CCPA.

Learn more about OOPS by visiting our How to Protect Your Information webpage.