Cybersecurity Policy Report, Newsom Signs Bill to Expand California Consumer Privacy Rights, (Sep 28, 2026)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.) has signed into law the Expanding Privacy Rights Act to, among other things, make it easier for consumers to exercise their privacy rights. The new law becomes effective Jan. 1, 2027.
The new law expands on the state’s Delete Act to implement a mechanism to make it easier for consumers to ask registered data brokers to delete their personal information. California’s Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform was launched earlier this year.
The bill (S.B. 923, Reg Sess.) expands Californians’ “right to delete to cover all personal information a business holds about them, and by requiring online businesses to provide consumers with a webform, online portal, or similar method, to submit requests to delete their personal information.”
According to bill sponsor Sen. Josh Becker (D.), the California Consumer Protection Act’s current right to deletion targets data a business collects from consumers but not the “full scope of data a company may hold and use to make decisions about individuals.” In addition, it may make businesses more vulnerable to security incidents like data breaches, Sen. Becker said.
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) said the new law would make it easier for consumers to exercise their privacy rights.
“We are grateful to Governor Newsom for signing this crucial bill into law,” said Tom Kemp, CalPrivacy’s executive director. “Now the right to delete will finally do what people expect it to do: deletion, no matter how the business got that information in the first place.”
The law also makes it easier for consumers to submit privacy requests, including requests for deletion. In addition, online-only businesses must now offer an online submission method, like a webform, rather than solely providing an e-mail address.
“The webform option will make it simpler for consumers to submit privacy requests while also encouraging more Californians to exercise the rights they already have,” said Maureen Mahoney, CalPrivacy’s deputy director-policy and legislation. “CalPrivacy is laser-focused on making privacy easier for all Californians, and this sponsored legislation is another example of our efforts in this area.”
News: StateLegislation DataPrivacy CCPA