Protect Online Credit Card Privacy
When you make a credit card purchase at a retail store, the merchant cannot ask for your address, phone number, email address or other private information that is unrelated to the purchase. But the California Supreme Court recently ruled that the same shopper gives up any privacy rights when using a credit card to buy a product online.
SB 383 (Jackson) will restore privacy protection for online credit card purchases. It allows online merchants to gather only the information needed to prevent fraud or identity theft. It prohibits the online merchant from using this personal information for marketing, data mining or sale to strangers.
The California Legislature long ago recognized that retailers don’t have the right to gather personal information from customers for marketing purposes. This has been a California law for more than two decades and the Court’s recent opinion is a gift to online businesses, many of which have demonstrated a callous disregard for customer privacy.
Dear lawmaker,
Credit card privacy is important to me and I urge you to support SB 383.
The California Supreme Court recently voided the Song Beverly Credit Card Act - which prohibits retailers from collecting and recording a customer’s personal identifying information as a condition of accepting payment by credit cards - in its entirety for certain online transactions. Online merchants may now demand personal information, without limit, from credit card holders, and use the information gathered for marketing, creation of customer dossiers, for sale to third parties, or other purposes.
SB 383 strikes a balance between consumer privacy and crime prevention. It would close the loophole for online commerce and would make it clear that the credit card privacy law applies to all transactions, regardless of the technology used.
[Your comments here]
Please vote YES on SB 383.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
