Golden State Today

On September 17, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law two groundbreaking bills aimed at addressing the threat posed by AI-powered disinformation to elections. Sponsored by the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy (CITED), a project of California Common Cause, these laws represent significant steps in combating digital threats to democracy.

“By signing our groundbreaking legislation into law, California has met this critical moment in our democracy with the nuance and ambition needed to mitigate the dangers of unregulated AI,” said Jonathan Mehta Stein, Executive Director of California Common Cause and Co-Founder of CITED. “Congress has refused to take action at the federal level. California has taken the lead in protecting our elections and our democracy from the grave digital threats we now face. We are gratified to the Governor for signing our bills, and we look forward to continuing to build a healthy, equitable digital democracy for all Californians.”

The newly signed CITED bills include:

- AB 2839 by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin: This bill aims to keep misleading deepfakes out of campaign ads and election communications close to Election Day while respecting First Amendment rights. It addresses incidents such as Elon Musk’s sharing of a misleading deepfake video of Vice President Kamala Harris and a “Joe Biden” robocall that discouraged New Hampshire Democrats from voting in their primary. The law takes effect immediately as an urgency measure.

- AB 2655 by Assemblymember Marc Berman: This legislation places first-in-the-nation requirements on large online platforms to remove or label deceptive digital content related to elections during specified periods. It also mandates mechanisms for reporting such content and authorizes various officials to seek injunctive relief against noncompliant platforms.

“At home and around the world, we’ve already seen how AI-powered disinformation can undermine the integrity of election processes and hurt voters,” said Drew Liebert, Director of CITED. “CITED’s bills represent the most nuanced, balanced, and forward-looking attempts in the United States seeking to protect our democracy from growing digital threats. We are grateful to Governor Newsom for establishing California as the nation’s democracy leader.”

California Common Cause launched CITED in November 2023 with an aim to address threats posed by disinformation, AI, deepfakes, and other emerging technologies on democracy and elections. According to November 2023 polling from Berkeley IGS, 84% of California voters expressed concern about digital threats to elections while 73% believed state government should take action.

CITED's proposals have been shaped by research from experts across tech, law, public policy, civil rights, civic engagement sectors along with influences from international successes like those seen in Europe.

In its inaugural year, CITED has established itself as a key source for independent policy expertise on technology issues impacting democracy in Sacramento.

California Common Cause extends gratitude towards Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks, Gail Pellerin; Marc Berman; Senator Steve Padilla for their leadership during this legislative session.