What happened?

On October 3, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 446 into law, strengthening California’s data privacy protections by clarifying how businesses must notify customers after a data breach.

Overview:

SB 446 updates California’s Civil Code Section 1798.82, which governs data breach notification requirements. The bill ensures that individuals are promptly and transparently informed when their personal data is compromised.

The law clarifies that businesses must notify affected individuals in a clear and easy to understand way, and that the notification must include:

• The type of personal information breached
• The date or estimated date of the breach
• A general description of what happened

The following items are recommended as best practices by agencies like the California Attorney General, but they are not required by SB 446:

• Contact information for the business
• Steps individuals can take to protect themselves

Source References

• California SB 446 – Data breaches: customer notification

Resources

• California Office of the Attorney General – Data Breach Reports
• California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) – for future rulemaking and enforcement updates

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