If the California politicos have their way, all personal information gathering without the individual’s permission, drawn from business sources by deception, will be a violation of civil law.

The California Legislature has just assigned SB 1666, obfuscatory in its title:An act to amend Section 1798.80 of, and to add Section 1798.83.5 to, the Civil Code, relating to personal information, to the Judiciary Committee, setting the the stage for a, no doubt, uneventful hearing, possibly in April. The summary in Government Technology succinctly informs the would be pretexter:

SB 1666 proposes to ban all pretexting, regardless of what kinds of information or records are involved. The bill also bans hiring someone to get access to records using pretexting. Under the measure, anyone who has been victimized by a pretexter will be able to both sue the pretexter and ask the court to order the pretexter turn over any money made from selling the records.

The California Attorney General filed a complaint in the San Diego County Superior Court against an online procurer of telephone subscriber personal call data. The AG cites a violation of the Business & Professions Code Section 17500 and Civil code section 1770 in his request for an injuction.

Lockyer’s efforts are presented in a press release.