Existing law requires an operator of a commercial internet website or online service that collects personally identifiable information through the internet about individual consumers residing in California who use or visit its commercial internet website or online service to conspicuously post its privacy policy on its internet website, as prescribed.

This bill would require a social media platform to disclose to the public, on or before October 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, statistics regarding the extent to which, in the 3rd and 4th quarters of the preceding calendar year and first and 2nd quarters of the current calendar year, items of content that the platform determined violated its policies were recommended or otherwise amplified by platform algorithms, disaggregated by category of policy violated. The bill would define “social media platform” for its purposes to mean a public or semipublic internet-based service or application, a substantial function of which is to connect users, as defined, in order to allow users to interact socially with each other within the service or application, and that meets certain other criteria, including having users in California. The bill would only apply to platforms having at least 1,000,000 discrete monthly users. The bill would also define “content” for its purposes to mean statements or comments made by users and media that are created, posted, shared, or otherwise interacted with by users on an internet-based service or application.

This bill would subject a violator of its provisions to a civil penalty of up to $100,000 for each violation that may be recovered only in a civil action brought by, among other specified public attorneys, the Attorney General.