California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

Notice for California residents:  This information is for California residents interested in their statutorily created rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), effective January 1, 2020.

INTRODUCTION

American Mailing List Corporation (AMLC), solely located and doing business at 9625 Surveyor Court, Suite 400, Manassas, VA 20110, is America’s most experienced list manager and list broker for conservative, Catholic, charitable, and faith-based causes, as well as political committees.  Its clientele and partners include The Viguerie Company, The Viguerie Political List family of lists, and various nonprofit organizations.  

Nonprofit organizations are exempt from the CCPA.  AMLC is a for-profit company that does not collect personal information directly from consumers in exchange for services or access to platforms like other businesses regulated by CCPA, but instead markets lists of potential donors and supporters to other entities.  Those organizations may have found those donors and supporters because of the valuable services companies like AMLC provide, allowing them to communicate important issues protected by the First Amendment.  AMLC’s business helps nonprofit organizations acquire access to new donors and supporters to whom they may promote their causes, and raise money from generous, patriotic Americans who wish to save America, or communicate and provide valuable political, eleemosynary, or other causes.

AMLC markets lists for postal and digital prospecting, i.e., donor acquisition.  Postal mail remains the number three form of advertising.  The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that both postal mail and charitable solicitations are protected by the First Amendment, meaning states may not legislate Do Not Mail laws, or ban charitable solicitations.

Even though states may not constitutionally enact Do Not Mail laws, long before the CCPA was enacted, AMLC helped ensure that people who do not wish to receive unwanted mail had their desires honored.  Before the CCPA, AMLC had worked with its clientele and partners to suppress names so that not only would organizations not mail to individuals on their own lists, but would not mail to individuals on outside lists rented for mailings, when people requested no mail.  The process of suppressing uses computerized methods, and does not stop printed mailings in process, but takes approximately eight weeks on average to filter for total effectiveness.  AMLC uses not only the best industry standards out of respect for donors and their family members — because it is the right thing to do for professional reasons — but we too have family members or friends we wish to be respected.  It is personal to us that we respect Do Not Mail requests, even though states may not prohibit mail.

While many professional and legal analyses of the CCPA recognize that parts of the law are vague, subject to varying interpretations, and even yet to be defined through administrative regulations – and even may be subject to legal or constitutional challenges – AMLC has done and continues to do its best good faith effort to ensure it is in compliance.  AMLC is certainly not unaware that regulators may yet use politicized or unlawful interpretations to suppress First Amendment rights of nonprofit organizations and Americans who wish to freely associate with causes. Americans’ access to information is the reason why AMLC exists.  AMLC takes seriously this balance between providing access to information for conservative, charitable, patriotic Americans, and their desires not to receive unwanted mail.  We also strive to provide the best sources of names for organizations wishing to reach more like-minded Americans.

RIGHTS CREATED BY THE CALIFORNIA CONSUMER PRIVACY ACT

For purposes of the rights explain herein, the “consumer” must be a natural person who is a resident of California.

A.  For certain entities doing business in California that collect California residents’ personal information and determine the purposes and means of processing consumers’ personal information:

(1) The right of Californians to know what personal information is being collected about them.

(2) The right of Californians to know whether their personal information is sold or disclosed and to whom.

(3) The right of Californians to say no to the sale of personal information, including having the business delete any personal information about the consumer which the business has collected from the consumer.

(4) The right of Californians to access their personal information.

(5) The right of Californians to equal service and price, even if they exercise their privacy rights.

A business that receives a verifiable consumer request from a consumer to access personal information shall promptly take steps to disclose and deliver, free of charge to the consumer, the personal information required by this section. The information may be delivered by mail or electronically, and if provided electronically.  A business may provide personal information to a consumer at any time, but shall not be required to provide personal information to a consumer more than twice in a 12-month period.

B.  For certain entities doing business in California that sell California residents’ personal information, or that disclose it for a business purpose, the resident has the right to request:

(1) The categories of personal information that the business collected about the consumer.

(2) The categories of personal information that the business sold about the consumer and the categories of third parties to whom the personal information was sold, by category or categories of personal information for each third party to whom the personal information was sold.

(3) The categories of personal information that the business disclosed about the consumer for a business purpose.

A business that sells personal information about a consumer, or that discloses a consumer’s personal information for a business purpose, shall disclose this information to the consumer upon receipt of a verifiable request from the consumer.

A business that sells consumers’ personal information, or that discloses consumers’ personal information for a business purpose, shall disclose:

(1) The category or categories of consumers’ personal information it has sold, or if the business has not sold consumers’ personal information, it shall disclose that fact.

(2) The category or categories of consumers’ personal information it has disclosed for a business purpose, or if the business has not disclosed the consumers’ personal information for a business purpose, it shall disclose that fact.

(d) A third party shall not sell personal information about a consumer that has been sold to the third party by a business unless the consumer has received explicit notice and is provided an opportunity to exercise the right to opt out pursuant to 1798.120.

A consumer shall have the right, at any time, to direct a business that sells personal information about the consumer to third parties not to sell the consumer’s personal information. This right may be referred to as the right to opt out.

Certain entities doing business in California that have received direction from a consumer not to sell the consumer’s personal information or, in the case of a minor consumer’s personal information has not received consent to sell the minor consumer’s personal information shall be prohibited from selling the consumer’s personal information after its receipt of the consumer’s direction, unless the consumer subsequently provides express authorization for the sale of the consumer’s personal information.

HOW TO GO ABOUT CONTACTING AMLC IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR RIGHTS ARE AFFECTED

Just as AMLC is always eager to help people who do not wish to receive unwanted mail, we wish to ensure your rights are protected against nefarious efforts to have the names of others removed from lists.

To verify that you are a natural citizen and a resident of California subject to CCPA (not unauthorized persons, bots, corporations, etc.), you should send a copy of your drivers license along with any requests about your rights to AMLC.  Also include the following:

A clear statement of your exact name and variations of your name you commonly use;

  • A clear statement of your exact address, including apartment number if applicable;
  • A clear identification of your email address and phone number;
  • A statement that you are the person identified in the copy of the driver’s license you send;
  • A clear and unambiguous statement of the CCPA right you request that we act upon;
  • Any other statement that your believe will be helpful in AMLC acting upon your request.

If you are seeking personal information to be forwarded to you, to protect the rights of people from invasions on privacy, AMLC will require not merely a copy of your driver’s license, but a statement sworn before a notary that you are in fact the person whose information you seek.  You may even use a free online notary service, such as the one available at this site:  https://www.lawdepot.com/contracts/affidavit/?loc=US&pid=googleppc-affgen_us-AffidavitT1_ew01-ggkey_virtual%20notary%20services&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIktj56vTs5wIVUl8NCh3fGwlAEAAYAyAAEgL5hvD_BwE#.XlUvGktYaUk

We also have loved ones ourselves, so if you are acting on behalf of an elderly of infirmed parent or other relative, we share your concern that they do not receive unwanted mail.  Please follow the procedures above, and identify in what capacity you are representing another person.

To contact AMLC, send your postal correspondence to:

Consumer Privacy Officer
AMLC
9625 Surveyor Court
Suite 400
Manassas, VA 20110

AMLC’s toll free number is 844-489-9994.

Please understand, information is digitized, and there are millions of data points in our system.  So, while an individual’s name and other personal information may be suppressed or “deleted,” there might already be mail printed and in the nationwide delivery system that individuals may receive even after requesting suppression of their names.