CaliforniaBots: disclosure.
What it does
Existing law makes it unlawful for any person to use a bot to communicate or interact with another person in this state online with the intent to mislead the other person about its artificial identity for the purposes of knowingly deceiving the person about the content of the communication in order to incentivize a purchase or sale of goods or services in a commercial transaction or to influence a vote in an election, unless the person using the bot discloses that it is a bot. Existing law defines a "bot" as an automated online account where all or substantially all of the actions or posts of that account are not the result of a person.
More detail
This bill would require a person who uses a bot to autonomously communicate with another to ensure that the bot discloses to any person with whom the bot communicates when the bot first communicates with the person that the bot is a bot and not a human being, answers truthfully any query from a person regarding its identity as a bot or a human, and refrains from attempting to mislead a person regarding its identity as a bot. The bill would redefine "bot" to mean an automated online account or application that a reasonable person could believe is a human being and with respect to which substantially all of the actions or posts of that account or application are the outputs of generative artificial intelligence, as defined. The bill would exempt from its provisions a person who uses a bot that is required to comply with a more prescriptive disclosure scheme.
This bill would authorize the Attorney General, a district attorney, a county counsel, a city attorney, or a city prosecutor to bring a civil action to punish noncompliance, as prescribed.
Where do you stand?
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2025
- Aug 29In committee: Held under submission.Latest
- Aug 18In committee: Referred to suspense file.Minor
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Jul 16From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jul 15
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 18Referred to Com. on JUD.Minor
- Jun 4In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- Jun 3Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 2. Page 1971.)Passed Assembly
- Vote recorded AB 410 Wilson Assembly Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- May 27Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- May 23From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 23).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 9In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Apr 7Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Apr 3Read second time and amended.Major
- Apr 2From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 1.) (April 1).Major
- Apr 1
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 25Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.Minor
- Mar 24From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 11In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- Feb 18Referred to Com. on P. & C.P.Minor
- Feb 5From printer. May be heard in committee March 7.
- Feb 4Read first time. To print.Introduced