{
  "id": 18402765,
  "title": "Reflecting on Digital Rights Wins and Losses in Sacramento",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/reflecting-on-digital-rights-wins-and-losses-in-sacramento",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-05T23:33:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "EFF Deeplinks",
    "slug": "eff-deeplinks",
    "url": "https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/11/reflecting-digital-rights-wins-and-losses-sacramento"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "California's 2026 legislative session has concluded, providing an opportunity to assess the outcomes for digital rights in the state. This marked the second year of a two-year legislative session, leading to the resumption of several bills from 2025. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) tracked nearly 100 bills, covering a range of digital rights issues such as 3D printer regulations, social media access, police surveillance, AI, and workplace privacy concerns.\n\nWhile progress was made, significant concerns emerged regarding the future of privacy protection in the state. Some notable victories include the signing of Governor Newsom's two significant bills: SB 947 and AB 1883. SB 947 provides protections against the use of automated decision-making in the workplace and workplace surveillance tools. It ensures workers are informed about automated decisions affecting them and prevents employers from using biased, invasive AI surveillance methods. AB 1883 prohibits workplace surveillance practices that predict emotions or collect neural data, thus safeguarding workers' privacy and autonomy.\n\nNotably, EFF was also pleased to see the governor sign SB 747, which allows victims of constitutional violations to seek damages against federal officials and strengthens federal law enforcement's respect for privacy rights. Additionally, AB 1854 and AB 1930 were significant wins for reproductive healthcare and legal shield protections against federal overreach. AB 1854 addresses threats to lawful reproductive healthcare services by expanding coverage to more businesses and individuals in California, while AB 1930 protects confidential medical records from politically motivated investigations.\n\nOn the positive side, EFF also played a role in stopping the expansion of California's age-gating law to browsers. Rather than focusing on blanket bans, EFF and allies prioritized digital literacy and cybersecurity education, as demonstrated by the successful passage of AB 2071 and AB 2298. These bills emphasize preparation and open conversations about digital safety over censorship. EFF and its allies were also pleased that AB 1856, which threatened the open-source community, did not expand to browsers.",
  "summary": "California’s 2026 legislative session has officially adjourned and it’s time to reflect on the wins and losses that have shaped Californians’ digital rights landscape this year. This was the second year of a two-year legislative session, which meant several bills resumed their legislative paths from 2025 . EFF monitored nearly 100 bills in the state over the two-year session. These included…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}