The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) both aim to protect personal data, but they differ in various ways:
Scope: The CCPA applies to businesses operating in California and collecting personal information of California residents, while the GDPR applies to all organizations working within the EU, or dealing with data of EU citizens, irrespective of their country location.
Rights: Both give individuals the right to access and delete their data, but the GDPR also includes rights like rectification (correcting inaccurate data) and objection (objecting to processing personal data), which the CCPA does not explicitly provide.
Enforcement: The GDPR has more vigorous enforcement and steeper penalties, with maximum fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher. CCPA's penalties can reach up to $7,500 per intentional violation.
Consent: The GDPR requires citizens’ explicit and informed consent before collecting personal data, while the CCPA does not require upfront approval but does provide citizens the right to opt out of data sales, preventing organizations from selling a citizen’s personal data.