California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed A.B. 3048, an amendment to California's landmark consumer privacy act that dealt with the delivery of opt-out preference signals installed in mobile and web browsers. The proposed legislation would have added a provision to California's data privacy law, requiring companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple to incorporate this setting for users to manage their data preferences with an option to signal their intent to opt out of the sale and sharing of personal information.
In his veto message dated Sept. 20, Newsom expressed support for strengthening privacy but cited concerns about placing this obligation on operating system developers. He emphasized that while many internet browsers already offer opt-out preference signals or allow users to add plug-ins for this function, such design changes are better handled by developers themselves, rather than being imposed by regulatory mandates.