[gochi]

Likely depends on the scale of the company. The likes of Google (I know they aren't specifically on the line for this law anyways) will have more than enough resources to ensure you're a California resident before allowing such. Hard to see others caring and just adhering your request as a non-California resident when it's always a small margin of people that even take advantage of privacy respecting laws.

[Alupis]

Exactly. The Parent comment strikes me as being very naïve.

Right to Unsubscribe? Gmail and other email providers do this for you even if you are not a CA resident and even if the Marketer does not have a built-in Unsubscribe link. From a Marketer perspective, you cost money to send emails to, and if you are not going to open, they kind of don't want you on the list anyway.

CCPA == GDPR? Not even close. Majority of CA businesses do not reach the compliance threshold and therefore do not have to or will not comply with requests. Additionally, you have no way to validate if the request was actually carried out. The company's "best efforts" to remove data from their systems is all that's required at best - and a lot of data can be retained for valid business reasons.

Lastly - despite what CA residents believe (and similar to EU residents with GDPR) - CA laws do not apply to the rest of the country simply because they are unenforceable except in the most egregious cases - and even then it would have to be a very large business anyway.

> because it's easier than building a California-specific version of a website or online product

Nobody is doing this in practice. At best, they use some GeoIP thing or if you are logged into an account (which means they have your data anyway). The law does not require them to validate the user anyway, so it's all "best effort" again which usually means low effort.

But hey, if it makes you feel warm and fuzzy believing these things - more power to you.

[callalex]

The right to unsubscribe being discussed here has nothing to do with emails. It states that if you paid for a subscription online, you must be able to cancel it online within a few clicks as well. No “call us” or “send a registered letter during a full moon and low tide only” nonsense. It’s really great.

[NelsonMinar]

There are numerous summaries of that right available here: https://www.google.com/search?q=california+right+to+unsubscr...

[Alupis]

> No “call us” or “send a registered letter during a full moon and low tide only” nonsense. It’s really great.

I am very skeptical even this is as great as some think. Outside CA, most companies can simply ignore these "viral" style laws with no consequences.

[r00fus]

As another Californian, I'd love examples of where this is ignored, or where non-californians also benefit from these.

I also gladly unsubscribe easily without frustration - just not sure if this is common in other states.

[Alupis]

How about a concrete example of a big business that did not allow you to cancel online prior to this law?

Netflix? Nope. Comcast? Nope. Google? Nope. Verizon? Nope. AT&T? Nope. Apple? Nope. PG&E? Nope...

Where is this mythical renaissance of new online cancellations?

Turns out - most big businesses did this already... oh, but now it's the law but who's enforcing? Lawyers who gain private settlements? That's not enforcement, that's a racket.

[callalex]

Specifically from your list Comcast, Netflix, AT&T, PG&E were all services that I had to call on the phone multiple times, and sometimes send registered letters to in order to terminate service. I’m taking exclusively about personal experience here, not about helping friends.

Edit: and by “terminate service” I mean “stop fucking taking my money, I don’t even live at the address you are claiming”

[rahimnathwani]

New York Times

[callalex]

I can assure you as a Californian that this law is not ignored. They are taking payment from my credit card so they can’t claim ignorance of my California address.

[Alupis]

There's no citizen enforcement clause for most of these laws and therefore this mostly means nothing - and where there is it just turns into a money grab/shakedown by bottom feeding lawyers (see existing FAL & P65 suits). Suits get settled, lawyers get paid, plaintiff gets a cut, no wrongdoing is admitted, and nothing changes.

It's not about claiming ignorance. It's about not caring about CA viral laws and CA's inability to effectively enforce them around the world.

Much like how most companies laugh when some EU citizens tries to flex GDPR in the US... hilarious unless you're Google...

People lock-in on the intent and names of these things and believe they've "won" the privacy war. Just like the "Inflation Reduction Act" these laws do very little if anything for their namesake.

[callalex]

It’s really odd to me that you are telling me that my lived experience is false and impossible. Every subscription I have made since this law passed, I have been able to cancel online. This includes newspapers, store club memberships, random podcasts and other online entertainment, educational software, and more.

Sometimes the government really does work for the people. It is actually possible.