privacy

news: California's Shine the Light Privacy Law: Many Companies Are Selling Personal Information Without Consent

UC Berkeley's Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic conducted the first study on California's "Shine the Light Law" (SB 27). SB 27 allows Californians to request from almost any business a disclosure of its information sharing practices. Of the 86 requests, 22% of the companies either ignored the requests or questioned the validity of the requests and didn't respond. Study results: 2% disclosed a list of information sharing partners (e.g., Walt Disney, Restoration Hardware), 12% never responded (e.g., AT&T/Cingular, Barnes and Noble, Costco, Dell), 50% provided a letter indicating they did not sell personal information to third parties without opt-in consent, 26% responded by providing a privacy policy and an opportunity for the individual to opt out, and 10% claimed the requester did not establish that a business relationship existed and therefore didn't respond (although a followup letter was sent arguing that a relationship existed).
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