Almost three dozen trade associations including the Association of National Advertisers, American Advertising Federation and the Association of Magazine Media, are invoking the coronavirus pandemic in asking California to delay enforcement of a new privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), until Jan. 2, 2021.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) went into effect Jan. 1, but the state has yet to finalize rules to enforce it, rules that have to be in place by mid year.
Some of the same groups, including ANA and the IAB, argued for a similar delay back in January, citing the "extraordinary complexity of the law and the wide range of open issues to be clarified" as the reason for seeking a similar six-month delay from July 1, 2020.
In a letter to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Thursday (March 19) , they said that "given current events and the presently unfinished status of the regulations implementing the CCPA, businesses will not have the operational capacity or time to bring their systems into compliance with the final regulatory requirements."
They argue that coming up with "innovative business procedures" to comply with the new law and enforcement regime is a formidable task, and too tall an order when many of those workers are at home and all are "doing their best to manage their personal and professional lives in the face of uncertain times."
They say they support privacy--though many including ANA were not fan of how the bill tries to secure it--but want the extra time to "understand and effectively operationalize" the new rules.
ANA has also argued that the law as approved could damage the California economy, an economy that, like all state economies, faces tough times ahead without that added issue.
