Tech Oversight California advocates for legislation that advances our mission of creating a healthier internet for Californians. We support policies that hold technology platforms accountable for harmful business practices, anti-competitive behavior, and threats to privacy and safety. Through the legislative process, we provide support, substantive feedback, and, when necessary, opposition to legislation. Bills we’re supporting in the 2025–2026 California State Legislature session include:
SB 53 – CalCompute: foundation models: whistleblowers (WIENER)
This bill establishes a consortium tasked with developing a framework for a public cloud computing cluster that advances the ethical development and deployment of AI for the public good; creates protections for whistleblowers working with specified AI models when reporting on “critical risks”; and requires developers to provide processes for anonymous reporting of activities posing such risks.
SB 243 – A.I. Chatbots (Padilla)
This bill imposes a number of obligations on operators of “companion chatbot
platforms” in order to safeguard users.
AB 2 – Social media platform Injuries to children: civil penalties (Lowenthal)
This bill creates enhanced penalties when social media companies breach the standard of care, resulting in harm to a child.
AB 325 – A.I. Pricing Algorithms (Aguiar-Curry)
This bill proposes amendments to the Cartwright Act to enhance antitrust enforcement.
AB 446 – Surveillance Pricing (Ward)
This bill would prohibit a person from setting a price offered to a consumer based, in whole or in part, upon personally identifiable information gathered through an electronic surveillance technology, as defined, including electronic shelving labels, and specify civil penalties for violators.
AB 566 – Opt-Out Preference Signal (Lowenthal)
This bill would require browsers and mobile operating systems to include a setting that enables a consumer to send an opt-out preference signal.
AB 1159 – Student Personal Information (Addis)
Updates and expands existing student data protections by clarifying and broadening their scope, extending their protections, and strengthening data minimization.
AB 1337 – Information Practices Act (Ward)
The bill would tighten restrictions on how agencies can use and disclose personal information. It prohibits agencies from using personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except as required by law.
AB 1355 – Location Privacy ACT (Ward)
This bill would prohibit a covered entity from collecting or using the location information of an individual unless doing so is necessary to provide goods or services requested by that individual and the individual has expressly opted into the collection or use of their location information for that purpose.