CCPA
California state regulation granting consumer privacy rights
WELL
Certification standard for occupant health and well-being.
Quick Verdict
CCPA mandates consumer data privacy for California businesses with hefty fines, while WELL is voluntary certification optimizing buildings for health. Companies adopt CCPA for legal compliance; WELL for talent retention, productivity gains, and ESG differentiation.
CCPA
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA)
Key Features
- Grants consumers rights to know, delete, opt-out of data sales
- Applies to businesses with $25M revenue or 100K+ CA consumers
- Requires privacy notices at collection and Do Not Sell links
- Mandates honoring Global Privacy Control opt-out signals
- Enables private right of action for data breaches
WELL
WELL Building Standard v2
Key Features
- 10 core concepts for human health outcomes
- Mandatory preconditions and point-based optimizations
- On-site performance verification testing required
- Tiered certifications from Bronze to Platinum
- Continuous monitoring compliance pathways
Detailed Analysis
A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.
CCPA Details
What It Is
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), is a comprehensive state regulation effective from 2020. It empowers California residents with control over their personal information (PI), including sensitive categories. Scope covers for-profit businesses meeting thresholds like $25M revenue or handling 100K+ CA consumers' data. It employs a rights-based, operational compliance approach focused on transparency and data minimization.
Key Components
- **Consumer rightsKnow/access, delete, opt-out of sale/share, correct inaccuracies, limit sensitive PI use.
- **Business obligationsNotices at collection, 45-day request responses, vendor contracts, GPC signal honoring, reasonable security.
- Built on broad PI definitions (identifiers, inferences, households); enforced by CPPA and AG without formal certification.
Why Organizations Use It
- Mandatory compliance avoids $7,500/violation fines, breach litigation ($100-$750/consumer).
- Enhances data governance, reduces breach risks, builds consumer trust.
- Provides competitive differentiation, operational efficiencies, GDPR alignment for global firms.
Implementation Overview
Phased framework: scoping/gap analysis (0-3 months), policies/contracts (1-4 months), technical controls (2-6 months), training/audits (ongoing). Targets data-heavy industries (tech, retail, adtech) worldwide processing CA data; requires cross-functional teams, automation tools, no certification but regular audits.
WELL Details
What It Is
The WELL Building Standard (WELL v2) is a performance-based certification framework administered by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). It focuses on designing, operating, and verifying buildings to advance human health and well-being through evidence-based strategies across indoor environmental quality, operations, and policies.
Key Components
- **10 core conceptsAir, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, Community (plus Innovation).
- 24 Preconditions (mandatory pass/fail) and 102 Optimizations (point-based).
- Built on public health and building science research.
- Tiered certification: Bronze (40 points), Silver (50), Gold (60), Platinum (80), with concept minimums at higher levels.
Why Organizations Use It
- Enhances occupant health, productivity, and ESG reporting.
- Differentiates assets via verified performance (higher rents, retention).
- Mitigates risks like poor IEQ; complements LEED.
- Builds stakeholder trust through third-party verification.
Implementation Overview
- Phased: gap analysis, scorecard, documentation, on-site verification, recertification every 3 years.
- Applies to new/existing buildings, all sizes/industries.
- Requires cross-functional teams, pre-testing, continuous monitoring.
Key Differences
| Aspect | CCPA | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Consumer data privacy rights and obligations | Building design for occupant health/well-being |
| Industry | All for-profit businesses meeting CA thresholds | Real estate, facilities, corporate occupiers globally |
| Nature | Mandatory state regulation with fines | Voluntary performance-based certification |
| Testing | No required testing; self-assessed compliance | On-site performance verification and audits |
| Penalties | $2,500-$7,500 per violation, private lawsuits | Loss of certification, no legal penalties |
Scope
Industry
Nature
Testing
Penalties
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about CCPA and WELL
CCPA FAQ
WELL FAQ
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