• Resources •

Official Links, Tools, and Guides to Go Deeper

Everything you need to learn more, take action, and stay informed — all in one place.

California Government & Legal Resources

These are the official sources for California privacy law — straight from the agencies responsible for enforcing it.

California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) Official

The state agency responsible for enforcing the CCPA and CPRA. Includes rule updates, enforcement actions, and how to file a complaint if your rights are violated.

cppa.ca.gov →

California Attorney General — Privacy Page Official

Explains your CCPA rights, how to submit a consumer request, and how to file complaints. Includes the full text of the law.

oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa →

California Legislative Information — AB 2273 (Age-Appropriate Design Code) Official

The full text of the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, which protects minors' privacy online and restricts manipulative design practices targeting children.

leginfo.legislature.ca.gov →

CalLawyers.org — Privacy Law Guide Legal

A comprehensive overview of California's full privacy law landscape — from consumer privacy to children's privacy to health data and beyond, written for non-lawyers.

calawyers.org →

FTC — Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Federal

Federal consumer protection resource. Also includes information about scams, data breaches, and how to report companies that misuse your personal information.

ftc.gov →

Advocacy Organizations & Educational Resources

Trusted non-profits and organizations fighting for your digital rights and providing free education.

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Free

The leading nonprofit defending digital civil liberties. Offers guides on surveillance, encryption, online rights, and tools like Privacy Badger. Their "Surveillance Self-Defense" guide is essential reading.

eff.org →

Consumer Action — CCPA Privacy Rights Survey Free

Eye-opening consumer research on how few Californians actually know and use their CCPA rights — including the 51% statistic about deletion requests. Includes practical guidance for consumers.

consumer-action.org →

TrustArc — California Age-Appropriate Design Code Explainer Free

A clear breakdown of what the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act means and requires — useful for understanding your rights as a minor, or explaining the law to others.

trustarc.com →

Global Privacy Control (GPC) Browser Tool

The official site for GPC — the browser signal that automatically opts you out of data selling under California law. Learn how to enable it and see which browsers support it.

globalprivacycontrol.org →

Tools to Check & Protect Your Data

Have I Been Pwned? Free

Check if your email or phone number has appeared in a known data breach. Enter your email and instantly see which breaches exposed your info. Set up alerts for future breaches.

haveibeenpwned.com →

Bitwarden — Free Password Manager Free & Open Source

Generate strong, unique passwords for every site and store them securely. Open source and audited. Available on all devices.

bitwarden.com →

Privacy Badger (EFF) Free Browser Extension

Automatically learns to block invisible trackers as you browse. Gets smarter over time. Available for Chrome and Firefox.

privacybadger.org →

Brave Browser Free

A privacy-first browser that blocks ads and trackers by default and has GPC built in. A direct replacement for Chrome that's also faster.

brave.com →
A Note on Free VPNs Many free VPNs make money by logging and selling your browsing data — the opposite of what you want. If you choose to use a VPN, research it carefully. Trusted paid options include Mullvad and ProtonVPN. Both have been independently audited.

Key Terms Defined

Privacy law comes with a lot of jargon. Here's what the most important terms actually mean.

CCPA
California Consumer Privacy Act. A 2020 law giving California residents rights over their personal data, including the right to know, delete, and opt out of data sales.
CPRA
California Privacy Rights Act. A 2023 expansion of the CCPA that added new rights (correct, limit use) and created a dedicated enforcement agency (CPPA).
Personal Information (PI)
Any data that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked to you. Includes name, email, location, browsing history, purchase history, and much more.
Sensitive Personal Information
A special category including health data, precise geolocation, racial/ethnic origin, sexual orientation, financial account details, and biometrics. Comes with extra legal protections under CPRA.
Data Broker
A company that collects personal information from many sources and sells it to other businesses or individuals — often without consumers' knowledge.
GPC (Global Privacy Control)
A browser signal that automatically tells websites "do not sell or share my personal data." Legally recognized as an opt-out under California law.
DPIA
Data Protection Impact Assessment. A formal process companies must complete to identify and reduce risks to children's privacy. Required under California's Age-Appropriate Design Code.
Cookie
A small file stored in your browser that tracks information about you across sessions. Third-party cookies track you across different websites, not just the one you're visiting.
Browser Fingerprinting
A tracking technique that identifies you based on unique characteristics of your browser and device (fonts, screen size, plugins) — without using cookies.
CalOPPA
California Online Privacy Protection Act. Requires commercial websites that collect personal info from Californians to post a clear, accessible privacy policy.
Opt-Out vs. Opt-In
Opt-out means data collection happens by default and you must actively stop it. Opt-in means you must actively agree before data is collected. Opt-in is stronger protection.
End-to-End Encryption
A method of communication where only the sender and recipient can read the messages — not the platform, not the government, not hackers. Used by Signal and WhatsApp.

Ready to Take Control?

Now that you know the laws, the terms, and the tools — start with one action today. Enable GPC in your browser, review your app permissions, or submit a data request to a company you use.

Start Protecting Yourself →