Big Tech must prove content moderation works or pay $15K daily fines in Calif. [Updated]
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Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom enacted a law that has been described by its author, California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, as the most stringent transparency measures for Big Tech" in the world.
AB-587 was drafted in direct response to the January 6 attacks on the US Capitol and was designed to hold Big Tech companies like Meta accountable for grossly inadequate" self-policing of hate speech, disinformation, and conspiracy theories on social media platforms. Now passed, the California law requires social media companies to post their policies and then submit enforcement reports publicly, every quarter, to California's attorney general.
If companies fail to abide by the law, they risk penalties of up to $15,000 per violation per day," enforced by the attorney general or specified city attorneys.