AB-656 • 2026

Account cancellation.

Elections Privacy

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Schiavo
Last action: 2025-10-08
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 464, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify the consequences for violating these rules or how it will affect smaller social media platforms.

Account Cancellation

This law requires social media platforms to provide users with a clear way to delete their accounts and personal information, and it stops companies from making this process difficult.

What This Bill Does

Requires social media platforms to have a clear button that lets users easily delete their account.
Provides users with steps on how to delete their account and personal information if they use the button.
Forbids social media companies from obstructing or interfering with a user’s ability to delete their account.

Who It Names or Affects

Social media platform users who want to delete their accounts and personal information.
Social media companies that must follow these rules when a user wants to cancel their account.

Terms To Know

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): A law that gives people rights over the personal information collected by businesses, including the right to ask for it to be deleted.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if a social media company violates these rules.
It is unclear how this will affect smaller social media platforms that may not have as many resources.

Bill History

2025-10-08 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 464, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-08 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-22 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
2025-09-10 California Legislative Information
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 3198.).
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2748.).
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-04 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-07-03 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-07-02 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (July 1).
2025-06-23 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-06-12 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-05-28 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-05-20 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-05-19 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 71. Noes 0. Page 1596.)
2025-05-12 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-08 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
2025-05-07 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 6).
2025-03-25 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on P. & C.P. Read second time and amended.
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
2025-02-14 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee March 16.
2025-02-13 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 656, Schiavo.
Account cancellation.
Existing law generally regulates social media platforms, including by requiring a social media company to post terms of service for each social media platform owned or operated by the company in a manner reasonably designed to inform all users of the social media platform of the existence and contents of the terms of service, as prescribed.
Existing law, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), grants a consumer various rights with respect to personal information that is collected or sold by a business, including the right to request that a business delete personal information about the consumer that the business has collected from the consumer, as specified. Existing law, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, an initiative measure approved by the voters as Proposition 24 at the November 3, 2020, statewide general election,
amended, added to, and reenacted the CCPA.
This bill would require a social media platform to provide a clear and conspicuous button that enables the user to delete their account and provide the user with the necessary steps to delete the user’s account and personal information if the user clicks on that button,
in accordance with specified procedures. The bill would prohibit a social media platform from obstructing or interfering with a user’s ability to delete their account, as specified. The bill would provide that a user’s request to delete an account constitutes a request to delete the consumer’s personal information under the CCPA.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Download Bill PDF