CalPrivacy sponsored AB 2021, the Whistleblower Protection and Privacy Act, introduced by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo. The bill establishes whistleblower protections under the CCPA, including an award program and anti-retaliation provisions, to encourage insiders to report privacy violations.
The bill creates an award program for whistleblowers to share in a portion of enforcement awards and prohibits employer retaliation against whistleblowers who report violations.
In-house legal teams should review vendor and employment agreements to ensure they include whistleblower protection clauses and anti-retaliation provisions. Specifically, contracts with data brokers and technology vendors should be updated to require compliance with CCPA, Delete Act, and Opt Me Out Act, and to include reporting obligations for potential violations. Employee handbooks and confidentiality agreements should be revised to clarify that reporting privacy violations to CalPrivacy is protected and not a breach of confidentiality.
Entity
California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy)
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://privacy.ca.gov/2026/02/calprivacy-sponsors-whistleblower-protection-bill/
June 17 2025 – The California Report on Frontier AI Policy
https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/June-17-2025-%E2%80%93-The-California-Report-on-Frontier-AI-Policy.pdf
California Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/privacy-enforcement-actions
"California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy)"
"California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)"
"Delete Act"
"Opt Me Out Act"
"to establish comprehensive whistleblower protections under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)"
"allows whistleblowers to share in a portion of an enforcement award"
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) announced the launch of the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) during Data Privacy Week. DROP allows Californians to submit a single request to delete their personal information from over 500 registered data brokers, as required by the Delete Act. The platform is free and has already seen over 176,000 sign-ups since January 1, 2026.
Governor Newsom signed the Expanding Privacy Rights Act (SB 923), expanding CCPA deletion rights to cover personal information obtained from third parties and requiring online-only businesses to offer an online method for submitting privacy requests. The law takes effect January 1, 2027, and allows businesses to maintain suppression lists to help keep deleted information from being reacquired.
The California Privacy Protection Agency announced that the California State Legislature approved the Expanding Privacy Rights Act (SB 923), which expands the CCPA's right to delete to cover all non-exempt personal information a business holds about a consumer, including data originally collected from third parties. The bill also requires online-only businesses with a direct relationship to consumers to provide online methods, such as webforms, for submitting access, deletion, and correction requests, and expressly permits businesses to retain suppression lists so deleted information stays deleted. The bill, authored by Senator Becker and sponsored by CalPrivacy, now goes to the Governor for consideration.
A bipartisan coalition of 33 state attorneys general, led by Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, began trial against Meta Platforms, Inc., alleging the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Facebook and Instagram that drive children and teens to use the platforms compulsively, while falsely assuring parents and the public that its platforms were safe for young users. The states also allege Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, violating COPPA. The trial opened before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with the states seeking monetary penalties and injunctive relief.
A coalition of 12 state attorneys general, led by Colorado AG Phil Weiser, obtained a temporary restraining order from a federal court in California to halt the proposed $110 billion merger of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. by Paramount Skydance Corporation. The lawsuit alleges the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by substantially lessening competition in film distribution, anticipated blockbuster film distribution, and licensing cable TV channels.
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) joined a coalition of 18 Attorneys General and state agencies in opposing the proposed SECURE Data Act, a federal privacy bill that would preempt stronger state privacy laws like the CCPA. The coalition argues the bill would weaken consumer privacy protections, limit enforcement remedies, and undermine California's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP).