Calif. Lawmakers Pass Bills on Smartphones, Privacy and AI

The California legislature will send state bills on smartphones in schools, privacy and social media to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). On Wednesday, the Assembly concurred with Senate changes to AB-3216, which would require schools adopt limits or bans on student use of smartphones; AB-3048, which would require web browsers to opt-out from the sale of and sharing data on all websites; AB-1824, which would require a business acquiring another company to follow an acquired customer’s privacy directions under the California Consumer Privacy Act; and AB-1282, which orders a study on mental health risks of social media for children. The Senate approved the bills Tuesday (see 2408280033). In addition, the Assembly voted 48-16 for a measure (SB-1047) allowing the attorney general to pursue civil penalties against large AI developers if they cause “severe harm” to residents. On Thursday, the Senate voted 29-9 to concur with the Assembly and send the AI bill to the governor. SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk said California should “probably pass” the bill that Sen. Scott Wiener (D) proposed (see 2408270047). Meanwhile on Wednesday, the Senate voted 25-10 to pass AB-1826, which would update California's 2006 video franchise law, known as the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act (DIVCA). The bill would increase fines for service-quality problems and seeks increased participation from the public and its advocates in the franchise renewal process. And senators voted 33-0 to pass AB-1949, which would set stricter limits on sharing children’s personal data under the CCPA. The Senate-passed bills will go back to the Assembly to concur with Senate amendments. On Thursday, California Privacy Protection Agency Executive Director Ashkan Soltani applauded passage of the bill requiring opt-out preference signals, which, he said, will make it "significantly easier for Californians to exercise their opt–out rights online." The Computer & Communications Industry Association opposed the AI bill in a statement Thursday. The measure's goals "appear well-intentioned, but poorly informed and ill-executed," said CCIA State Policy Director Khara Boender. "It would disrupt the development of the U.S. AI ecosystem by imposing untenable liability as U.S. companies compete with foreign companies."