Are phone numbers protected by CCPA?
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 8:49 am
Yes, phone numbers are protected by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The CCPA defines "personal information" broadly, and phone numbers fall squarely within this definition because they can be used to identify, relate to, describe, or be associated with a particular consumer or household.
Here's how the CCPA protects phone numbers and what that means for businesses:
1. Phone Numbers as "Personal Information":
The CCPA defines "personal information" as "information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household." Phone numbers directly fit this description, as they are a common way to identify and contact individuals.
2. Core Consumer Rights Related to Phone Numbers:
Under the CCPA, consumers whose phone numbers (and other personal information) are collected by businesses subject to the law have several key rights:
Right to Know: Consumers have the right to know what personal information a business collects about them, including their phone numbers, the sources from which it is collected, the purposes for which it is used, and the categories of third parties with whom it is shared.
Right to Delete: Consumers have the right to request that a business delete their personal information, including their phone numbers, collected from them. Businesses must comply with such requests, subject to certain exceptions (e.g., if the information is needed to complete a transaction, detect security incidents, or comply with a legal obligation).
Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: Consumers have the right to opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of their personal information. The CCPA's definition of "sale" is broad and includes disclosing personal information for monetary or "other valuable consideration." "Sharing" under the CPRA (California Privacy Rights Act, which amended the CCPA) specifically refers to cross-context behavioral advertising. If a business monetizes or shares phone numbers for targeted advertising, consumers have the right to stop this activity.
Right to Correct Inaccurate Personal Information: With the romania phone number list CPRA amendments, consumers now have the right to request that businesses correct inaccurate personal information they hold about them, which would include incorrect phone numbers.
Right to Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information: While phone numbers are generally considered PII, not always "Sensitive Personal Information" (SPI), the CCPA does provide a right to limit the use and disclosure of SPI. However, unless combined with other sensitive details (like health data or financial account login details), a phone number alone usually falls under general PII.
3. Business Obligations Regarding Phone Numbers:
Businesses that collect, use, or share phone numbers of California residents and meet the CCPA's thresholds (e.g., gross annual revenue over $25 million, or collecting personal information of 100,000 or more California consumers/households/devices) must:
Provide Notice at Collection: Inform consumers at or before the point of collection about the categories of personal information, including phone numbers, being collected and the purposes for which they will be used.
Implement Mechanisms for Exercising Rights: Provide clear and accessible methods for consumers to submit requests to know, delete, and opt-out (e.g., a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link on their website).
Verify Consumer Requests: Take reasonable steps to verify the identity of the consumer making a request before fulfilling it.
Maintain Records: Keep records of consumer requests and how they were handled.
Ensure Data Security: Implement reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the personal information (including phone numbers) to protect it from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.
Avoid Discrimination: Not discriminate against consumers who exercise their CCPA rights.
4. Data Breaches and Enforcement:
The CCPA provides for statutory damages in the event of a data breach resulting from a business's failure to implement reasonable security measures. If phone numbers are compromised in a breach and the business did not adequately protect them, consumers can potentially seek damages. This underscores the importance of securing phone number data.
In summary, the CCPA views phone numbers as a form of personal information and extends comprehensive privacy rights to California consumers regarding their collection, use, and sharing by businesses. Any company engaging with California residents must ensure their data handling practices for phone numbers are fully compliant with the CCPA and its amendments under the CPRA.
Yes, phone numbers are protected by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The CCPA defines "personal information" broadly, and phone numbers fall squarely within this definition because they can be used to identify, relate to, describe, or be associated with a particular consumer or household.
Here's how the CCPA protects phone numbers and what that means for businesses:
1. Phone Numbers as "Personal Information":
The CCPA defines "personal information" as "information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household." Phone numbers directly fit this description, as they are a common way to identify and contact individuals. The law explicitly lists telephone numbers as an example of "customer records information" and "identifiers."
2. Core Consumer Rights Related to Phone Numbers:
Under the CCPA (as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, CPRA), consumers whose phone numbers (and other personal information) are collected by businesses subject to the law have several key rights:
Right to Know: Consumers have the right to know what specific pieces of personal information a business collects about them, including their phone numbers. They can also request to know the categories of sources from which the phone numbers are collected, the business or commercial purposes for collecting/selling/sharing them, and the categories of third parties to whom they are disclosed.
Right to Delete: Consumers have the right to request that a business delete their personal information, including their phone numbers, collected from them. Businesses must comply with such requests, subject to certain exceptions (e.g., if the information is needed to complete a transaction, detect security incidents, debug products, or comply with a legal obligation).
Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: Consumers have the right to opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of their personal information. The CCPA's definition of "sale" is broad and includes disclosing personal information for monetary or "other valuable consideration." "Sharing" specifically refers to cross-context behavioral advertising (i.e., targeted advertising). If a business monetizes or shares phone numbers for such purposes, consumers have the right to stop this activity.
Right to Correct Inaccurate Personal Information: Consumers have the right to request that businesses correct inaccurate personal information they hold about them, which would include incorrect phone numbers. Businesses must make reasonable efforts to comply with such requests.
Right to Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information: While phone numbers are generally considered PII, they are not typically classified as "Sensitive Personal Information" (SPI) on their own under the CCPA/CPRA, unless combined with other sensitive details (like health data, financial account login details, or precise geolocation). However, if a phone number is part of a collection of SPI, consumers would have the right to limit its use and disclosure to only what is necessary for providing the requested goods or services.
3. Business Obligations Regarding Phone Numbers:
Businesses that collect, use, or share phone numbers of California residents and meet the CCPA's thresholds (e.g., gross annual revenue over $25 million, or collecting personal information of 100,000 or more California consumers/households/devices) must:
Provide Notice at Collection: Inform consumers at or before the point of collection about the categories of personal information, including phone numbers, being collected and the purposes for which they will be used.
Implement Mechanisms for Exercising Rights: Provide clear and accessible methods for consumers to submit requests to know, delete, correct, and opt-out (e.g., a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link on their website).
Verify Consumer Requests: Take reasonable steps to verify the identity of the consumer making a request before fulfilling it, to prevent unauthorized access or deletion of personal information.
Maintain Records: Keep records of consumer requests and how they were handled.
Ensure Data Security: Implement reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the personal information (including phone numbers) to protect it from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.
Avoid Discrimination: Not discriminate against consumers who exercise their CCPA rights.
4. Data Breaches and Enforcement:
The CCPA provides for statutory damages in the event of a data breach resulting from a business's failure to implement reasonable security measures. If phone numbers are compromised in a breach and the business did not adequately protect them, consumers can potentially seek damages of $100 to $750 per consumer per incident, or actual damages, whichever is greater. This underscores the importance of securing phone number data, as a breach involving even a large number of phone numbers could lead to substantial financial penalties.
In summary, the CCPA views phone numbers as a form of personal information and extends comprehensive privacy rights to California consumers regarding their collection, use, and sharing by businesses. Any company engaging with California residents must ensure their data handling practices for phone numbers are fully compliant with the CCPA and its amendments under the CPRA.
Here's how the CCPA protects phone numbers and what that means for businesses:
1. Phone Numbers as "Personal Information":
The CCPA defines "personal information" as "information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household." Phone numbers directly fit this description, as they are a common way to identify and contact individuals.
2. Core Consumer Rights Related to Phone Numbers:
Under the CCPA, consumers whose phone numbers (and other personal information) are collected by businesses subject to the law have several key rights:
Right to Know: Consumers have the right to know what personal information a business collects about them, including their phone numbers, the sources from which it is collected, the purposes for which it is used, and the categories of third parties with whom it is shared.
Right to Delete: Consumers have the right to request that a business delete their personal information, including their phone numbers, collected from them. Businesses must comply with such requests, subject to certain exceptions (e.g., if the information is needed to complete a transaction, detect security incidents, or comply with a legal obligation).
Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: Consumers have the right to opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of their personal information. The CCPA's definition of "sale" is broad and includes disclosing personal information for monetary or "other valuable consideration." "Sharing" under the CPRA (California Privacy Rights Act, which amended the CCPA) specifically refers to cross-context behavioral advertising. If a business monetizes or shares phone numbers for targeted advertising, consumers have the right to stop this activity.
Right to Correct Inaccurate Personal Information: With the romania phone number list CPRA amendments, consumers now have the right to request that businesses correct inaccurate personal information they hold about them, which would include incorrect phone numbers.
Right to Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information: While phone numbers are generally considered PII, not always "Sensitive Personal Information" (SPI), the CCPA does provide a right to limit the use and disclosure of SPI. However, unless combined with other sensitive details (like health data or financial account login details), a phone number alone usually falls under general PII.
3. Business Obligations Regarding Phone Numbers:
Businesses that collect, use, or share phone numbers of California residents and meet the CCPA's thresholds (e.g., gross annual revenue over $25 million, or collecting personal information of 100,000 or more California consumers/households/devices) must:
Provide Notice at Collection: Inform consumers at or before the point of collection about the categories of personal information, including phone numbers, being collected and the purposes for which they will be used.
Implement Mechanisms for Exercising Rights: Provide clear and accessible methods for consumers to submit requests to know, delete, and opt-out (e.g., a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link on their website).
Verify Consumer Requests: Take reasonable steps to verify the identity of the consumer making a request before fulfilling it.
Maintain Records: Keep records of consumer requests and how they were handled.
Ensure Data Security: Implement reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the personal information (including phone numbers) to protect it from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.
Avoid Discrimination: Not discriminate against consumers who exercise their CCPA rights.
4. Data Breaches and Enforcement:
The CCPA provides for statutory damages in the event of a data breach resulting from a business's failure to implement reasonable security measures. If phone numbers are compromised in a breach and the business did not adequately protect them, consumers can potentially seek damages. This underscores the importance of securing phone number data.
In summary, the CCPA views phone numbers as a form of personal information and extends comprehensive privacy rights to California consumers regarding their collection, use, and sharing by businesses. Any company engaging with California residents must ensure their data handling practices for phone numbers are fully compliant with the CCPA and its amendments under the CPRA.
Yes, phone numbers are protected by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The CCPA defines "personal information" broadly, and phone numbers fall squarely within this definition because they can be used to identify, relate to, describe, or be associated with a particular consumer or household.
Here's how the CCPA protects phone numbers and what that means for businesses:
1. Phone Numbers as "Personal Information":
The CCPA defines "personal information" as "information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household." Phone numbers directly fit this description, as they are a common way to identify and contact individuals. The law explicitly lists telephone numbers as an example of "customer records information" and "identifiers."
2. Core Consumer Rights Related to Phone Numbers:
Under the CCPA (as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, CPRA), consumers whose phone numbers (and other personal information) are collected by businesses subject to the law have several key rights:
Right to Know: Consumers have the right to know what specific pieces of personal information a business collects about them, including their phone numbers. They can also request to know the categories of sources from which the phone numbers are collected, the business or commercial purposes for collecting/selling/sharing them, and the categories of third parties to whom they are disclosed.
Right to Delete: Consumers have the right to request that a business delete their personal information, including their phone numbers, collected from them. Businesses must comply with such requests, subject to certain exceptions (e.g., if the information is needed to complete a transaction, detect security incidents, debug products, or comply with a legal obligation).
Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: Consumers have the right to opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of their personal information. The CCPA's definition of "sale" is broad and includes disclosing personal information for monetary or "other valuable consideration." "Sharing" specifically refers to cross-context behavioral advertising (i.e., targeted advertising). If a business monetizes or shares phone numbers for such purposes, consumers have the right to stop this activity.
Right to Correct Inaccurate Personal Information: Consumers have the right to request that businesses correct inaccurate personal information they hold about them, which would include incorrect phone numbers. Businesses must make reasonable efforts to comply with such requests.
Right to Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information: While phone numbers are generally considered PII, they are not typically classified as "Sensitive Personal Information" (SPI) on their own under the CCPA/CPRA, unless combined with other sensitive details (like health data, financial account login details, or precise geolocation). However, if a phone number is part of a collection of SPI, consumers would have the right to limit its use and disclosure to only what is necessary for providing the requested goods or services.
3. Business Obligations Regarding Phone Numbers:
Businesses that collect, use, or share phone numbers of California residents and meet the CCPA's thresholds (e.g., gross annual revenue over $25 million, or collecting personal information of 100,000 or more California consumers/households/devices) must:
Provide Notice at Collection: Inform consumers at or before the point of collection about the categories of personal information, including phone numbers, being collected and the purposes for which they will be used.
Implement Mechanisms for Exercising Rights: Provide clear and accessible methods for consumers to submit requests to know, delete, correct, and opt-out (e.g., a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link on their website).
Verify Consumer Requests: Take reasonable steps to verify the identity of the consumer making a request before fulfilling it, to prevent unauthorized access or deletion of personal information.
Maintain Records: Keep records of consumer requests and how they were handled.
Ensure Data Security: Implement reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the personal information (including phone numbers) to protect it from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.
Avoid Discrimination: Not discriminate against consumers who exercise their CCPA rights.
4. Data Breaches and Enforcement:
The CCPA provides for statutory damages in the event of a data breach resulting from a business's failure to implement reasonable security measures. If phone numbers are compromised in a breach and the business did not adequately protect them, consumers can potentially seek damages of $100 to $750 per consumer per incident, or actual damages, whichever is greater. This underscores the importance of securing phone number data, as a breach involving even a large number of phone numbers could lead to substantial financial penalties.
In summary, the CCPA views phone numbers as a form of personal information and extends comprehensive privacy rights to California consumers regarding their collection, use, and sharing by businesses. Any company engaging with California residents must ensure their data handling practices for phone numbers are fully compliant with the CCPA and its amendments under the CPRA.