With California’s mandatory COVID-19 stay-at home orders impacting some 40 million people by forcing the vast majority of them to connect remotely to work, go to school, order necessities, socialize and do many other things, California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra recently issued an alert reminding consumers of their privacy rights and to encourage them to be vigilant about practicing sound security practices while online.

In his alert, Attorney General Becerra urges consumers to take steps to understand their rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), a new law that went into effect on January 1, 2020 and provides important consumer privacy rights both during and after the COVID-19 public health crisis. To learn more about the CCPA’s consumer privacy rights, see our previous posts on this blog located at this link.

Attorney General Becerra’s alert also warns consumers about common COVID-19 phishing email scams; provides tips on how to enable privacy and security settings during virtual meetings and otherwise protect home networks from outside hackers; and recommends online resources that “help parents set boundaries and guide their children towards becoming good digital citizens.”