The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has expressed concerns regarding two proposed bills in California—AB 2 and AB 56—citing potential negative implications for digital privacy, free speech, and innovation. These bills aim to govern how social media platforms manage interactions with minors. Despite backing child safety online, CCIA warns that the current language of the bills could pose significant challenges.
AB 2 seeks to hold platforms broadly accountable for user interaction features and tools, even when platforms have limited control or awareness of their use. The bill sets a vague "ordinary care and skill" standard, potentially leading to an influx of lawsuits that could incentivize the removal of protections like end-to-end encryption. According to CCIA, this could erode user privacy and increase surveillance and data breach risks among minors. The association further notes that AB 2 may conflict with federal legislation, particularly Section 230, which offers liability protection for platforms regarding user-generated content.
AB 56 proposes measures such as mandatory warning labels and time-tracking for social media use by minors. CCIA argues these uniform requirements raise concerns about First Amendment rights and impose hefty technical and financial pressures on smaller platforms. They fear this approach might shift control away from parents to the state, without substantially enhancing minor safety online.
In response to the proposed legislation, Aodhan Downey, State Policy Manager for CCIA, stated, "California lawmakers should prioritize the safety of children online, but AB 2 and AB 56 miss the mark. These bills open the door to frivolous lawsuits, weaken privacy protections like encryption, and risk silencing speech online. We should be supporting solutions that work, like parental controls and digital literacy programs, not policies that compromise privacy or punish responsible platforms. We urge lawmakers to reconsider these bills and focus on measures that genuinely help families."