AB 1564: Clarifies methods for requesting personal information under CCPA

Assembly Bill 1564, which clarifies the required methods for consumers to submit requests for personal information, was part of an important package of amendments to the California Consumer Privacy Act that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in October.

AB 1564 created much-needed flexibility in the methods that companies can use to receive consumer requests for access or deletion of their personal information. The CCPA, which requires that businesses make two or more methods available for consumers to submit personal information requests, originally required businesses to provide a toll-free telephone number as one of these mechanisms. AB 1564 strikes an important balance by clarifying that businesses that do business with consumers in the brick-and-mortar context should provide a toll-free telephone number, but that businesses operating exclusively online and that have a direct relationship with consumers can provide an email address instead. This amendment is more consistent with the ways that consumers are likely to want to reach businesses to submit their requests.

This bill is part of a broader set of amendments that tried to clarify and improve the CCPA, which became law on Jan. 1.

Lindsey Tonsager and Danielle Kehl are attorneys at Covington & Burling LLP.