EFF asks California governor to veto bill that would require online age verification — Electronic Frontier Foundation argues bill would result in privacy-invasive checks and step on First Amendment

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has urged California's governor, Gavin Newsom, to veto a new bill, A.B. 1709, which would mandate online age verification for social networks. The EFF argues that such a requirement would lead to invasive privacy checks, potentially infringing upon the First Amendment rights of California residents and concentrating more power in the hands of social media companies.

The bill doesn't explicitly mandate physical ID checks, but given its wording, companies could use any method to fulfill the requirement, potentially including uploading government IDs or biometric scans. The EFF claims that this could result in data collection and potential leaks, exposing users' information to malicious actors, as seen in past breaches of companies like Target, Equifax, and UnitedHealth Group.

Moreover, the EFF argues that A.B. 1709 may hinder teenagers from accessing supportive online communities and denying them opportunities to develop their own voices and perspectives. The bill's provisions also target key features of social networks, such as algorithmic feeds, autoplay, endless scroll, and push notifications, which the EFF claims is vague enough to be interpreted as a ban on these features.

The bill's language also suggests that the Attorney General could adopt more regulations to combat what it perceives as addictive elements. The EFF further notes that A.B. 1709 is likely to face legal challenges due to conflicting legislation, such as A.B. 1043 and S.B. 976, which could further complicate the situation. If Governor Newsom allows the bill to become law, it would take effect on January 1, 2027.