It is no secret that we live in a time of unprecedented digital surveillance. Everything from our online shopping, web searches and even our deleted Facebook messages has become part of a vast data set that has been accumulated without our knowledge or consent. Hell, we even make jokes about FBI agents watching us through our webcams.

Our lawmakers have not been doing much to mitigate any of this. Watching the Zuckerberg hearings last year was akin to watching a flaming trainwreck unfold in slow motion. It exposed

Which is why what is happening in California is so powerful. PBS Nova's recent film "In The Age of AI" focuses part of its narrative on the efforts of Alistair MacTaggart and Co, who have been pushing for The California Consumer Privacy Act (AB 375) to be passed. The bill takes a three-pronged approach to data protection.

First, citizens will have "the right to know". They will be able to ask any company for access to all the personal information the company has collected on them in the last 12 months.

Second, citizens will have "the right to say no". Basically, people can go to any company and opt-out of having their information sold to third parties. While this is not as good as having opt-out as the default (I mean, going through all the hoops needed to find these buttons can tire anyone out), it provides more protection than before. It also sets the precedent that all companies operating in California are obligated to allow consumers to opt-out of having their data spread all over the internet or to shady third-parties.

Lastly, the bill gives citizens the option of a "third party opt-out". A more comprehensive version of the previous right to say no, this opt-out allows people to click a button on their web browser that will send a signal to every website they visiti telling them not to sell the person's information.

It is important to note that while people can finally figure out what exactly all these companies have been gathering about them and their children, the companies are not required to stop collecting people's data. They are also not required to stop selling the data unless people opt-out. This NPR article provides some more context on the law's implications. While companies can no longer legally sell your data to third parties if you opt-out, you might have some difficulty suing them if they do so, anyway. This is because of the ways in which legalese and the law work. But even though it is not perfect, it is a step in the right direction.

It is a sad and rather terrifying truth that most online companies do not have safety standards to protect the personal digital information of their consumers and the general public. By taking a harder legal stand and forcing companies to abide by a set of baseline rules and regulations, we can make the internet a safer and freer place for everyone.