Beyond CCPA – Why Being Good Stewards of Data Matters

We’re in a new global frontier where addressing the data rights, transparency and interest of individuals has become more than compliance and executive-level imperatives - it’s just good business. Here is how we think about it at Alyce.
Alyce and CCPA

I have two birthdays. 

Everyone in my family has – two birthdays.

The date we celebrate with friends and family going bowling, miniature golfing, taking a spontaneous road trip to VT, devouring chocolate cake, ice cream and blowing out those birthday candles, year after year.

The other date is the one we share online.

You know the date.

The other date of birth shared on websites, mobile apps, and platforms to join a community, gain access to gated information or register for something of interest.

Why share a faux date of birth?  Or an inaccurate address, contact number, or even ‘other’ email? For data privacy concerns.  

The challenge is I don’t know where my personal information is being stored, shared and used these days.

And I work in tech. I’m concerned.  

Alas, I’m starting to question which businesses I select to work with, and where I entrust my personal information as a customer based on a sense of digital trust.

We live in an age where data privacy and trust are not only a growing concern – but have become regulated, legislated and a citizen-driven privacy rights movement. And businesses, marketers, and citizens around the world are waking up.

Peter Drucker once stated,

The Purpose of a Business is to Create a Customer.”

And today businesses, global brands, and enterprise companies must deliver digital trust as much as superior experiences to maintain a strong customer base. Within our ever-connected, digital age that means protecting customers’ information and ensuring their data privacy. 

While some companies have gone so far as to create a strong culture around data protection like Apple, Encircle, Fitbit, and Danske Bank with effective processes to address data privacy, it’s not the norm.

So much so that global, national and state governing-bodies have had to step in. Over the past decade, there has been an assertive focus on establishing legislation and regulation movements to protect customer information, with GDPR in Europe and the recent CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) that went into effect January 1st taking center stage.

And that’s a good thing.

As I’m sure we’d all like to feel safer and more confident in sharing our personal information.

The Alyce Perspective on Data Privacy & Governance

At Alyce, we have this rule. 

It’s a rule that ties together our core values, helps us make important business decisions, informs how we build our product, and guides our quest to reimagine how people do business with each other. Ultimately, this rule ensures the experiences we deliver for our customers are genuine, trusted and positive. The rule is this.

“Do the right thing.”

As such, transparency and trust are at the heart of Alyce.

We were founded within the digital, social and e-commerce age and recognize that when customer data is shared, it should be protected and data privacy respected.

With Alyce’s core mission to create personal experiences that help sales and marketing teams build rapport, earn trust and generate loyalty to help their business grow – ensuring data privacy and protection of sensitive information is critical. You can’t expect to create a trusted and authentic relationship at one front and not work to ensure the privacy of your customers and their customer’s information on another. 

Consumers today are more likely to do business with brands they trust and will continue to do so as long as that trust holds strong.

This is why Alyce looks to go beyond GDPR and CCPA as a sheer compliance and regulation-driven initiative.

Alyce recognizes that an essential part of building trust is ensuring that when a customer hands over their personal information, they understand the organization is doing more than keep it safe from bad actors.

Being a good steward of customer data is just good business. 

As such, Alyce will also move to address and provide the following Data Privacy Rights:

  • Transparency as to what data was collected,
  • Allow requests for data to be deleted,
  • No resale of personal data for profit and,
  • Provide the right to opt-out of sharing data with partners

So we welcome the passage of the California Consumer Privacy Act ( CCPA ) which went into effect at the beginning of 2020. The CCPA sees to it that customers’ private information is managed properly and securely. It’s the right thing to do.

And Alyce is already, and always has been, CCPA compliant.

If you want to see how seriously we take this issue, head over to our Privacy Policy page.

Like Alyce, more businesses are using these regulations as a springboard to offer real trust-building experiences with consumers. Addressing the common links between GDPR, CCPA, and other emerging Data Privacy regulations, smart businesses are mitigating regulatory risk and offering the trusted, personalized experiences that can win over customers.

Why CCPA Matters

While the CCPA may seem a duplicate of GDPR, focusing on protecting the residents of California, it’s more. A business that complies with GDPR and is subject to CCPA may have additional obligations under CCPA. It’s also important to note that the new CCPA law impacts some businesses even if they don’t have an office there, aiming to protect California residents wherever they are traveling or temporarily living, outside the west coast state.

What is the California Consumer Privacy Act?

The California Consumer Privacy Act forces companies to be transparent about how they collect and use personal information. The law also increases companies’ accountability for the unintentional disclosure of personal information in the event of a data breach.

The CCPA Grants New Rights to California Consumers

  • The right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared or sold, both as to the categories and specific pieces of personal information;
  • The right to delete personal information held by businesses and by extension, a business’s service provider;
  • The right to opt-out of sale of personal information. Consumers are able to direct a business that sells personal information to stop selling that information. Children under the age of 16 must provide opt-in consent, with a parent or guardian consenting for children under 13.
  • The right to non-discrimination in terms of price or service when a consumer exercises a privacy right under CCPA.

The Times – They Are a Changin’

It’s good to be part of a company with a “Do The Right Thing” culture, values and policy.  To go beyond CCPA and look out for customers – and even more, their prospects and customers – is testament that moves me.

Perhaps even more – it’s a trusted sign of Things To Come. 

A trusted moment when I feel I truly celebrate and share my birthday with people, brands, and organizations with trust.

My name is Robert Collins – and my Birthday is November 7th. 

If you’re reading this and care about Data Privacy – I trust you.

January 17, 2020
Team Alyce
Team Alyce