Plain English Breakdown
The effective date is missing from the provided metadata, though related existing law mentions January 1, 2027 for browser functionality.
AB-2561: Privacy Settings for Operating Systems and Applications
This law requires operating systems and applications to set the most protective privacy options as defaults and bans changing a user's chosen settings without their explicit consent.
What This Bill Does
- Requires default privacy settings in an operating system or application to be the most privacy-protective option offered.
- Prohibits an operating system or application from undoing a user's affirmative configuration of a privacy setting without the user's explicit consent.
Who It Names or Affects
- Operating systems and applications that offer configurable privacy settings.
Terms To Know
- Privacy setting
- Any user-configurable option within an application's privacy or similarly labeled menu that governs the collection, use, sharing, disclosure, retention, or processing of personal information.
- Explicit consent
- The clear permission required from a user before their chosen privacy setting can be changed back to default or altered by the system.
Limits and Unknowns
- The official text does not state when this law will take effect.
- The source material does not list specific penalties for breaking these rules.
- It is unclear if existing apps must update immediately or only new versions are covered.