California AG Endorses Bill Expanding Consumer Privacy Protections

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Monday endorsed a state bill that would expand the state’s new privacy act to allow consumers to sue companies over their handling of personal data, despite months of tech lobbying against such a move. California’s data privacy law, passed last year, imposes fines of up to $7,500 on large companies for intentional failure to disclose data collection or delete user data on request, or for selling others’ data without permission. Under the law, set to take effect next year, consumers may file complaints to the attorney general over alleged violations but can sue only in the case of a data breach.