ICYMI: California takes historic action against data brokers
California has taken significant regulatory action targeting data brokers, marking a notable step by a U.S. state to curb the industry that profits from buying and selling personal information about residents.
Why this matters: Data brokers are one of the least visible ways your personal information gets spread around. You never opted in to them. You probably do not know which ones have your data. California moving against this industry matters because data brokers feed surveillance, enable stalking, power scam calls, and help advertisers and investigators build detailed profiles of ordinary people. If the rules have real teeth, this could give people some control they have never had. The details of enforcement will determine whether it actually changes anything.
Who should care: General readers · Privacy officers · Policy
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