Earlier this month, after the conclusion of the public comment period, the Colorado Department of Law adopted amendments to the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), which grants rights to Colorado consumers concerning their personal information, including the right to access, delete, and correct their personal data as well as the right to opt out of the sale of their personal data or its use for targeted advertising or certain kinds of profiling.

The amendments include:

• Requirements for data controllers (which includes employers) that collect biometrics to provide pre-collection notice to individuals;
• Specific guidelines on employers’ collection of biometric data, including retention requirements and deletion requirements;
• Requirement that data controllers obtain consent from any consumer under the age of 18 before the data controller can process personal information; and,
• New methods for businesses to contact the Colorado Attorney General for guidance on regulatory compliance.

The amendments also include some implementation-friendly clarifications, such as:

• The required biometric data collection notice can be included in a business’ general privacy notice;
• Consent for processing the personal information of a minor is only required if the data controller “actually knows or willfully disregards” facts indicating that the consumer is under 18 years of age;
• Allowing employers to “refresh” consent to collect biometric data (in certain limited circumstances);
• Attorney-client privilege is not waived when seeking an opinion letter from the Colorado Attorney General after submitting a data protection assessment; and,
• Data protection assessments submitted to the Colorado Attorney General are exempt from public inspection under the Colorado Open Records Act.

The amendments will become effective 30 days after they are published in the state register. Given this short period, businesses subject to the CPA should start preparing for compliance. To see the amendments, click here.