Under the CCPA, for how long must organizations retain personal data?

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) establishes that organizations must retain personal data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. This means organizations are required to have a clear rationale for retaining data, ensuring they do not keep personal information longer than is necessary for its intended use. This principle emphasizes data minimization and aligns with privacy best practices, reflecting the focus on protecting consumer rights and minimizing the risks associated with long-term data storage.

Retaining data indefinitely or as long as desired does not comply with the CCPA’s principles, as it could lead to unnecessary exposure of personal information. Keeping data until the end of a business cycle is also not aligned with the CCPA's requirement to retain data only as necessary. The key takeaway is that organizations must regularly evaluate their data retention policies to align with the CCPA's requirement for purpose-limited retention.