Overview
- Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 771 on Monday, saying he supports its goals but wants an assessment of current civil rights protections before changing liability rules.
- The bill aimed to make major social media companies civilly liable for algorithmically amplifying threatening content linked to hate-motivated violence.
- Reporting described potential penalties as up to million-dollar fines for platforms found to have materially contributed to harm through promotion.
- Critics, including free-speech advocates and tech firms, warned of First Amendment violations, and the group FIRE praised the veto as avoiding a chilling effect.
- Supporters, including Children's Advocacy Institute counsel Ed Howard, said the measure sought to protect people from credible threats rather than regulate offensive speech.