California Announces Sweep on Streaming Services and More Enforcement To Come

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an investigatory sweep into popular streaming apps and devices, timed to coincide with Data Privacy Day on January 28. 

The California Attorney General's Office explained that it is sending letters to such streaming services alleging a failure to comply with the requirement to offer an easy mechanism to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

The announcement explained that in the view of the California attorney general, the settings menu for the streaming service's mobile app should offer a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" option, which should be honored across devices for logged-in users. In addition, "consumers should be able to easily encounter a streaming service's privacy policy that discusses their CCPA rights."

This latest enforcement announcement by Attorney General Bonta comes on the heels of two consecutive meetings in December and January of the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA), which shares enforcement authority with the California attorney general. During these meetings, the CPPA agreed that successful enforcement is one of their top priorities for the next three years, and the CPPA will likely take a much more active role in enforcement going forward. Indeed, the CPPA's executive director announced that in 2023, the enforcement division grew by 400%, including the addition of a new deputy director of enforcement. While enforcement to date has been on the CCPA, as amended by the CPRA, the regulations promulgated under the CPRA will become enforceable on March 29, 2024.