California Assembly Sends Tech, Telecom Bills to Newsom’s Desk

Several bills regulating social media are headed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, as expected (see 2208300053), after the California Assembly wrapped up its legislative session Tuesday. AB-587, which would establish new transparency requirements for social media platforms’ content moderation practices, passed 66-0. AB-2273, which would require social media companies with child users to follow “age-appropriate” design principles, passed 75-0. AB-2879, which would subject platforms to civil liability if they don’t follow new reporting requirements for cyberbullying, passed 67-1. SB-1008, which would eliminate all telecom fees for prisoners in county jails and state prisons, passed 56-16. SB-1018, which would require platforms to report specifics about how their algorithms rank content, passed 51-21. SB-884, which would require the CPUC to establish an electric undergrounding program that requires telecom providers to put non-wireless infrastructure underground and pay proportionate costs, passed 67-0. “It’s long past time for tech companies to provide real transparency into how they are shaping our public discourse," California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D), author of AB-587, said in a statement. "The public and policymakers deserve to know when social media companies are amplifying certain voices and silencing others." Newsom (D) should sign the appropriate-design legislation, AB-2273, said Parents Television and Media Council President Tim Winter in a statement, calling it an important, common-sense “step to ensure that tech companies design their products with children’s safety in mind.” The Computer & Communications Industry Association cited “several problematic bills” on content moderation, data privacy and algorithms, singling out “heavy compliance requirements” under AB-587 and AB-2273. “These bills would create significant and potentially costly compliance requirements that may unintentionally stifle innovation and competition,” said CCIA State Policy Director Khara Boender. “The measures require study, as they may raise constitutional concerns and conflict with federal law.”