At the beginning of the year, more than 65 bills were introduced that would have impacted California privacy law. As COVID-19—the defining event of this legislative session—spread, legislators were forced to dramatically pare back their bill packages in response to the pandemic’s serious impact on the state’s budget.

Proposition 24 (Prop 24), also known as the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, is on the California ballot this November. If passed, it will change what businesses can do with personal information and Californians’ rights associated with their information. It also has potential significance on the national level.

It depends. While some dating services do require you to submit a copy of your ID to participate (helping prevent fake/inaccurate profiles, catfishing, dating scams, etc.), it's a good idea to make sure the service and website are legitimate before providing any information.

Once you've verified that a service is legitimate, if you're also concerned about how it might share or use your ID information, it might help to look at the service's privacy policy and see what options you have and who you can contact with further questions.

In the wake of California’s landmark state privacy law and the absence of federal action, Washington is among a growing group of states taking steps to enact their own privacy laws. The recently introduced 2020 Washington Privacy Act (WPA)—sponsored by Senator Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle)—would