The deadline for observance of the California Consumer Privacy Act is less than ten months away, falling on 1 January 2020. Most firms are still not ready, according to a survey by TrustArc.

The CCPA is the toughest US privacy regulation to date and has been hailed as California's version of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, although in truth it is a good deal less stringent. Its effect will be felt by almost every organisation that does business in California or handles the personal information of Californians.

Only 14% of companies that responded to the survey said that they were already complying with the Act. Also, 72% of companies plan to invest in IT as part of their preparations. The top reason for them making this investment is "to meet customer and partner expectations."