A new California privacy law has been passed but it is not set to be in effect until 2020.

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Here’s what you should know about it

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• The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 could have a major effect on tech companies once it’s in effect.
• California lawmakers passed the bill on Thursday, known as AB 375, in a bill that was unanimously approved by the State Senate and Assembly. It was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.
• The law gives residents of the state more control over the data that tech businesses and other companies gather on  them, imposing new penalties on businesses that don’t comply.
• The rights that consumers will now have include giving individual consumers the right to request the information businesses have collected on them, the right for people to object to having their data sold, the right to receive their data in a portable format, as well as the right to ask businesses to delete their personal data.
• Many major tech companies will have to work hard over the next 18 months to make fundamental changes to how they handle their consumers’ data or risk facing a sizable penalty.
• The law may be open to some loopholes as the language used to describe these privacy rights is a bit too broad at times, which may lead to some companies taking advantage of it.

What do you think of the law?