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Hello, communicators:

The California Consumer Privacy Act just received a major update banning user interfaces known as “dark patterns” that are designed to make opting out of data collection more difficult.

“The CCPA gives Californians the right ‘to say no to the sale of personal information,’ but the state government is evidently worried that these options will be buried under byzantine menus,” reports The Verge. “’By banning dark patterns, California will ‘ensure that consumers will not be confused or misled when seeking to exercise their data privacy rights,’ said the state’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra in a press statement.”

The CCPA, along with California’s newer Consumer Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), are largely considered to be bellwethers for what federal privacy regulations will eventually look like in practice. As privacy regulations become more widely enforced, communicators will be increasingly required to help marketing and advertising teams craft clear language for consumers that explains how their data is being used and how they can opt out of data collection in the first place.