Cybersecurity Policy Report, Legislation to Streamline Privacy Opt-Out Process Advances in California, (Jul 7, 2025)
The California state Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-0 last week to pass a bill that would require web browsers to provide a clear, user-friendly opt-out setting for consumers to prevent the sale or sharing of their personal information.
The bill, AB 566, is similar to a bill (A.B. 3048, Reg Sess.) that was vetoed last year by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.). The governor at the time said that while he supported the intent of the bill, he had concerns about the mandate it would impose on operating system developers (CPR, Sept. 23, 2024).
In response to the governor’s concerns, the updated California Opt Me Out Act would not place obligations on operating systems but would limit its focus to browsers and browser engines. The bill proposes to amend the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to prohibit a business from developing or maintaining a browser or browser engine that does not include a setting that enables a consumer to send an opt-out preference signal to a business with which the consumer interacts through the browser. The setting must be easy for a reasonable person to locate and configure.
The bill also would require a business that develops or maintains a browser to make clear to a consumer in its public disclosures how the opt-out preference signal works and the types of personal information to which the signal would apply.
Bill sponsor Assembly member Josh Lowenthal (D.) said AB 566 would make it easier for consumers to state their privacy preferences by requiring web browsers to allow a user to “exercise their opt-out rights at all businesses with which they interact online in a single step.”
“Many consumers are unaware of how their data is being collected and utilized when they are navigating the internet and the unintended use or misuse of our personal data remains far too common. AB 566 will ensure that an individual’s right to privacy is upheld by requiring web browsers to offer global opt-out settings,” Assembly member Lowenthal said in support of the measure.
The bill (A.B. 566, Reg Sess.) is also sponsored by the California Privacy Protection Agency. It has been referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
News: StateLegislation DataPrivacy CCPA