Schiavo introduces bill to protect whistleblowers, end illegal data harvesting

Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, announced the introduction of the Whistleblower Protection and Privacy Act (Assembly Bill 2021), according to a news release from the assemblywoman’s office.  

The legislation, introduced in partnership with the California Privacy Protection Agency, establishes a robust protection and incentive framework for individuals who expose companies illegally collecting, selling, or failing to delete the private data of Californians — especially children, the release said.  

AB 2021 would create new protections and support for whistleblowers who report illegal or improper use of Californians’ personal and sensitive data to CalPrivacy for information like ed tech tracking a child’s academic struggles, sensitive personal information like medical diagnoses, and private precise locations, the release said.  

“As a mother, I live with a constant, nagging concern that I know many of you share: What exactly is being collected about our children? Our most sensitive information — where we take our kids to school, our most private health journeys, our very identities — is not just ‘data.’ In the wrong hands, it’s a weapon,” Schiavo said in the release. “If a business is illegally profiting off of you or your child’s data, or if they are keeping and selling information you explicitly told them to delete, we need to protect the people of integrity who come forward to protect us. The Whistleblower Protection and Privacy Act will help reveal violations that might otherwise go undetected and give CalPrivacy the information they need to enforce California’s privacy laws and protect our children and our communities.” 

CalPrivacy Executive Director Tom Kemp said in the release: “Privacy enforcement often depends on exposing what is happening behind closed corporate doors. That is why whistleblowers are indispensable. AB 2021 gives those individuals the protections and incentives they need to come forward. Their game‑changing disclosures will strengthen California’s privacy enforcement and better protect the public.”  

“Consumer Reports applauds CalPrivacy and Assemblymember Schiavo for introducing The Whistleblower Protection and Privacy Act,” Matt Schwartz, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports, said in the release. “This legislation strengthens privacy protections for Californians by creating a whistleblower program that will help uncover violations of the CCPA. Whistleblowers play a critical role in revealing misconduct that might otherwise go undetected, giving regulators an additional tool to hold companies accountable and keep consumer personal information safe. This bill provides critical financial incentives and legal protections to potential whistleblowers, ensuring they are empowered to safely report wrongdoing and shielded from retaliation by their employer.” 

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