It’s no secret that privacy and user empowerment have always been core to Mozilla’s mission.
Over the years, we’ve consistently engaged with policymakers to advance strong privacy protections. We were thrilled when the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) was signed into law, giving people the ability to opt-out and send a clear signal to websites that they don’t want their personal data tracked or sold. Despite this progress, many browsers and operating systems still failed to make these controls available or offer the tools to do so without third-party support. This gap is why we’ve pushed time and time again for additional legislation to ensure people can easily exercise their privacy rights online.
Last year, we shared our disappointment when California’s AB 3048 was not signed into law. This bill was a meaningful step toward empowering consumers. When it failed to pass, we urged policymakers to continue efforts to advance similar legislation, to close gaps and strengthen enforcement.
We can’t stress this enough: Legislation must prioritize people’s privacy and meet the expectations that consumers rightly have about treatment of their sensitive personal information.
That’s why we joined allies to support AB 566, the California Opt Me Out Act, mandating that browsers include an opt-out setting so Californians can easily communicate their privacy preferences. Earlier this month, we were happy to see it pass and Governor Newsom sign it into law.
Mozilla has long advocated for easily accessible universal opt-out mechanisms; it’s a core feature built into Firefox through our Global Privacy Control (GPC) mechanism. By requiring browsers to provide tools like GPC, California is setting an important precedent that brings us closer to a web where privacy controls are consistent, effective, and easy to use.
We hope to see similar steps in other states and at the federal level, to advance meaningful privacy protections for everyone online – the issue is more urgent than ever. We remain committed to working alongside policymakers across the board to ensure it happens.