Last night, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 587. NetChoice is very disappointed to see this bill become law.
AB 587 violates the First Amendment, hands online predators a “roadmap” to evade child protection measures, hinders platforms’ rapid response to online threats, and harms California’s small businesses, innovation, and competitiveness.
“AB 587 forces websites to publicly explain how they stop predators and harassers, which will help bad actors to manipulate and avoid those online security measures. Gov. Newsom of California should not copy Florida Gov. DeSantis by signing into law an approach already found illegal by the courts. AB 587 harms Californians while aiding criminals and wrongdoers, violates the First Amendment, and undermines small businesses, competition, and innovation in the Golden State,” said Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel of NetChoice. “This law is incredibly burdensome, and it’s unfortunate that Gov. Newsom has signed it.”
You can find our testimony on AB 587 to the California State Appropriations Committee here and our veto request here.
Please contact Krista Chavez at press@netchoice.org with any press inquiries.