California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that he has signed a bill calling for transparency in social media companies.
The law, known as ‘AB-587’, requires social media companies to publicly post policies on hate speech, disinformation and extremism on their platforms and report them to the state Department of Justice every six months.
The law was enacted in response to criticism that social media has promoted extremism and violence in the wake of the riots in the US Congress on January 6 last year.
“We will not allow social media to be weaponized to spread hate and disinformation that threatens the fundamental values of our communities and our nation,” Governor Newsom said in a statement.
He added that he expects this measure to bring transparency and accountability to social media content shaping policies.
However, the bill is expected to provoke backlash from big tech companies and related industries, Reuters reported.
He also explained that the bill is expected to be controversial in terms of protecting press freedom.
Last year, the state of Texas signed legislation preventing social media from restricting users or posts based on their views.
Big Tech filed a lawsuit, and in May, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Big Tech.