California voters approved on Tuesday a ballot measure designed to beef up consumer privacy protections, according to unofficial returns published by the state’s secretary of state. From a report: Proponents of the measure, known as Proposition 24, say the initiative would close a loophole in the state’s current privacy law that lets major tech companies continue to target ads with user data, even when users opt out. The proposition is the brainchild of Alastair Mactaggart and Californians for Consumer Privacy, his advocacy group. “We are at the beginning of a journey that will profoundly shape the fabric of our society by redefining who is in control of our most personal information and putting consumers back in charge of their own data,” Mactaggart said in a statement Wednesday. The proposition’s success will let consumers opt out of data collection in a powerful way, Mactaggart said in an interview, supporting companies with business models that don’t require data collection to turn a profit. Those businesses will “feast on the companies whose model is pervasive tracking,” Mactaggart said.

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Source:: Slashdot