SACRAMENTO, California (Press Release) –Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed Assembly Bill (AB) 587 into law. Authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, this bill requires social media companies to publicly disclose their policies for online hate and extremism so they can be held accountable for their enforcement. The bill had previously passed the State Senate and Assembly with bipartisan support.
AB 587 was sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League, a member organization of the Jewish Public Affairs Committee (JPAC) of California. JPAC and the Legislative Jewish Caucus strongly advocated for this bill’s passage. It passed despite fierce opposition from big technology companies, which were successful in their efforts to kill several other social media accountability bills.
“This is a major legislative victory for the Jewish community and all vulnerable communities,” said David Bocarsly, JPAC’s Executive Director. “Far too many of us have been victims of antisemitic and hate incidents. For all that social media has contributed to our society, we also know that it can be used as a dangerous instrument to spread misinformation – part of the reason we are experiencing record-high levels of antisemitism hate crimes. Despite fierce opposition, we got this thing across the finish line. As we work to tackle each stage in the evolution of hatred, this law will play a huge role in preventing its spread.”
“We’re grateful to Assemblymember Gabriel, the Legislative Jewish Caucus, and our partners at the ADL for their leadership, and to Governor Newsom for his bold action to stop the spread of hate,” Bocarsly said.
In May, 200 Jewish leaders from across the state traveled to Sacramento to participate in JPAC Advocacy Day. Our leaders met with 88 legislative offices, representing three-fourths of the entire legislature, to lobby on behalf of JPAC’s priority bills. Throughout the year, hundreds of activists sent emails to legislators and the Governor in response to JPAC action alerts, urging their support of AB 587 and other JPAC priorities.
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Preceding provided by JPAC