California Enacts New Privacy Legislation Affecting Consumer Rights, Data Brokers, and Website Tracking Litigation
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of privacy bills at the close of the state's 2026 legislative session, covering consumer rights, data broker rules, platform design, and website tracking lawsuits. He also vetoed at least one measure that would have placed broader limits on the sale and sharing of personal data.
Why this matters: California still sets the pace for U.S. privacy law, so what Newsom signs matters well beyond the state's borders. This package touches data brokers, which are companies most people have never heard of but that sell detailed profiles of them anyway. Website tracking litigation getting new civil remedies means real legal risk for companies that treat consent as a checkbox. The veto is worth watching too. A bill that would have broadly restricted data sales did not make it through, and that gap is where a lot of personal data quietly keeps moving.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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