Google, Meta and TikTok have filed separate lawsuits challenging California's Assembly Bill 1709, which bans 'psychologically exploitative' features like personalized feeds, infinite scroll and autoplay for users under 16 and requires age verification. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the law in September as part of a broader social media and AI safety package, with it set to take effect January 1, 2027. The companies argue the law violates the First Amendment and Section 230, saying it overrides their editorial judgment and parents' authority.
techspot.com
· 2026-11-06
Meta, Google, and TikTok have each filed separate lawsuits against California Attorney General Rob Bonta seeking to block AB 1709, a law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that bans autoplay and personalized feeds for users under 16 starting January 1. The law would require platforms to delete underage accounts that don't disable those features, with fines up to $50,000 per affected minor for noncompliance.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-11-06
California lawmakers passed AB 1661, directing $5 million in penalty funds from oil wells near Inglewood toward direct cash payments for up to 1,000 households affected by respiratory or reproductive health issues linked to nearby drilling. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan, would offer eligible households as much as $5,000 each and awaits Governor Gavin Newsom's signature, expected by October. The funding draws from a state repair and reinvestment account meant for communities closest to the oil field, which sits near predominantly Black neighborhoods like Ladera Heights and Baldwin Hills.
wired.com
· 2026-09-19
California faces pressure from the Trump administration, which is withholding Bipartisan Infrastructure Law broadband funds from states unless they agree not to enforce net neutrality rules. California and Illinois remain the only states yet to finalize their BEAD funding agreements, and California is weighing whether to accept the federal money and abandon enforcement of its own net neutrality law or fight the condition in court. Nearly 30 advocacy groups have urged state leaders to defend the law rather than trade it away for funding.
yro.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-18
Four gamers sued Sony in a California court, claiming the company violated state law AB 2426 by using terms like 'Buy Now' and 'Confirm Purchase' for digital games without clearly disclosing that customers were only acquiring a revocable license, not ownership. The suit, seeking class action status, cites titles including Resident Evil Requiem and NBA 2K25, arguing buyers overpaid believing they owned the games. Sony has countered that its Terms of Service already clarify that purchases grant a license rather than ownership.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-01
Responding to a June class-action lawsuit in California, Sony argued that consumers cannot reasonably believe that buying a game digitally grants ownership, since the same digital copy can be sold to countless buyers simultaneously, unlike a physical disc. The lawsuit alleges Sony's use of words like 'buy' and 'purchase' at checkout misleads consumers, while burying the true licensing terms in separate agreements they never have to actively acknowledge.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-01
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