CA considers state privacy act changes to curb lawsuits
CA considers state privacy act changes to curb lawsuits
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article315730906.html
Publish Date: 2026-05-14 08:00:00
Source Domain: www.sacbee.com
State Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced, speaks in support of her bill, Senate Bill 690, which would make changes to the 1967 California Invasion of Privacy Act.
When she was served with lawsuit papers, Belinda Gutierrez, the owner of Elk Grove Plumbing and Heating, had no idea what they could be about. She was confused even after reading the documents.
A man whose name she didn’t recognize was suing her business for wiretapping, Gutierrez said, among other privacy violations.
“They are demanding up to $40,000 in damages,” she said Tuesday, of the lawsuit she is still trying to settle. “We are not wiretappers. We are just plumbers.”
The man suing her alleged Gutierrez violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act, a law passed in 1967 that prohibits the interception or recording of private communications without consent. The man’s complaint seemed connected to her website — and she discovered he’d sued dozens of similar California businesses for allegedly violating the same law.
Gutierrez is one of several business leaders who gathered Tuesday to voice support for a bill written in response to these lawsuits, which have surged in the past few years. Senate Bill 690 would amend CIPA to exempt businesses from criminal or civil penalties if they collect certain data for a “commercial business purpose.”
Supporters say without it, small businesses are being targeted for the exchange of data that comes with having a website or the use of Google advertising. Opponents, including consumer…
