diverse, very complex society creates a 21st century economy that has some equality to it.” Regulatory roadblocks On the topic of public policy, Laub cites California’s strict regulatory environment as having an impact on many of the state’s residents and business owners. “As a privacy lawyer, the biggest challenges I see are the data privacy regulations, the regulatory landscape, all the
protecting sensitive personal information, tripling fines against companies that violate children’s data, establishing an enforcement arm for consumers and making it harder to weaken privacy laws in the future. Close to home One aspect of living in such a “high-tech, high-touch” environment as California that will never lose popularity is the state’s numerous lifestyle amenities that the tech life offers. Laub cites a couple that will hit home for many Americans, regardless of where they live. “I spoke to a friend on the East Coast not too long ago who remarked to me, ‘Who ever heard of Zoom before COVID?’ I had to admit to her that I certainly did—we used it all the time here, long before the pandemic. “And, along with Zoom, another impact technology has had on the local California culture is our ability to flex our schedules so much more than we could previously. In California, it’s been kind of normal for us to be living in this kind of dressed-down, flexible environment and I think that’s slowly been adopted throughout the rest of the country.” Laub continues: “I think California is ahead insofar as it regards technology. It follows the statement that if you want to see where the country is going, then take a look at California. I remember when the COVID crisis first hit and people all across the country were struggling with the idea of where and how to return to work. Here—especially with tech—it was just ‘let’s turn the page. We already do this [work remotely] once or twice a week, so let’s just move to do it five days a week.’ That’s life in California.”
policy changes that are required and the ones that are forthcoming,” she says. “There’s a big push to break up what the government sees as monopolies in the big tech companies out here, so I think there’s also a negative bias toward some of these companies that the government is fighting.” Laub is especially right when it comes to consumer protection— and the regulations
“I think California is ahead insofar as it
regards technology. It follows the statement that if you want to see where the country is going, then take a look at California.” Amy Laub Privacy Counsel, Airbnb
that spring forth from it. It’s increasingly problematic for tech companies or, for that matter, any business seeking to operate in the state. In fact, data shows that, year after year, California has been the most
heavily regulated state in the country. Bloomberg Law, a leading authority on regulatory issues throughout the country, reports a similar regulatory- related challenge: “As the first comprehensive consumer privacy legislation in the U.S., the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), is having a profound impact on the privacy and data security landscape and changing the way companies do business.” Rolled out just four years ago, the relatively new law is designed to give Californians the strongest online privacy rights in the world, including
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IN YOUR CORNER ISSUE 17 | 2024
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