US CCPA: Ford to Pay $375K Fine for Adding Friction to Opt-Out Process

The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) Board fined Ford Motor Company $375,703 on March 5, 2026 for violating the CCPA Opt-Out Rule. Ford required consumers to verify their email address before processing their opt-out requests — a step the CPPA found unnecessary and unlawful.

The fine comes shortly after the $2.75 million Disney CCPA settlement brought by the California Attorney General. Between the two cases, California regulators have made it clear that adding friction to consumer opt-out processes will trigger enforcement.

How Ford Violated the CCPA Opt-Out Rule

When consumers submitted an opt-out request on Ford's website, the company sent a confirmation email stating: "you must confirm your email and identity by clicking the button below." Consumers who did not click the link had their requests ignored.

Under California Civil Code Section 1798.120, consumers have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information. The CCPA Opt-Out Rule requires businesses to "honor opt-out requests if they can comply with the request without requesting additional identifying information." Opt-out requests are different from data access or deletion requests — they do not require identity verification.

The CPPA treated Ford's email confirmation step as a dark pattern: an unnecessary barrier designed to discourage consumers from completing their opt-out requests.

Beyond the fine, Ford must process all previously unfulfilled opt-out requests, provide compliant opt-out submission methods, audit the tracking technologies on its website, and ensure proper handling of opt-out preference signals.

Connected Vehicles and Privacy Enforcement

Ford is not the only automaker facing CCPA enforcement. Honda recently received a similar fine — roughly double Ford's amount — for comparable violations. The automotive sector collects large volumes of personal data through GPS tracking, telematics, infotainment systems, and embedded advertising SDKs, which puts it squarely in regulators' crosshairs.

For any company that collects and shares consumer data, the Ford case sets a straightforward standard: opt-out requests must work the first time, without confirmation emails, extra clicks, or account verification. Businesses should also make sure they honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals automatically, since the CPPA ordered Ford to ensure compliance with opt-out preference signal processing as part of the settlement.

UniConsent Built-In CCPA Opt-Out Support

UniConsent handles opt-out requests and GPC signals without requiring any additional consumer action. When a visitor opts out or arrives with GPC enabled, UniConsent applies the preference across your advertising and data-sharing ecosystem automatically.

Opt-out preferences are synced with IAB GPP and US Privacy consent strings, so downstream partners receive the signal. As a Google-certified CMP, UniConsent integrates with Google's advertising services while maintaining CCPA and CPRA compliance.

The Ford and Disney enforcement actions show where California privacy enforcement is heading. A properly configured Consent Management Platform removes the kind of friction that led to Ford's penalty.

References

• Ford to Change Practices, Pay Fine for Adding Unnecessary Friction to Opt-Out Process - CPPA
• Take CCPA Opt-Outs Seriously - JD Supra

About UniConsent

UniConsent is a part of Transfon's privacy-first User Experience Platform that serves tens of millions of users per day to provide a seamless privacy experience for both users and publishers in the age of post GDPR. Contact us to know more: hello@uniconsent.com