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SB-771 • 2026

Personal rights: liability: social media platforms.

Personal rights: liability: social media platforms.

Vetoed

The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.

Sponsor
Stern
Last action
2026-03-02
Official status
Veto sustained.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on what constitutes a social media platform or explicit requirements for informing users about terms of service. It also does not specify if the bill would declare attempted waiver of its provisions to be void and unenforceable in detail.

Social Media Platforms: Liability for Violations

The bill makes social media platforms liable for civil penalties if their algorithms violate laws protecting personal rights.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes social media companies liable for civil penalties if they break laws about personal rights through their content recommendation systems or by aiding others who break these laws.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Social media companies
  • Users of social media platforms

Terms To Know

Civil penalties
Fines or other legal consequences for breaking a law, but not involving criminal punishment.
Algorithms
Computer programs that make decisions based on data and rules to perform tasks like recommending content.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill was vetoed by the governor, so it did not become law.
  • It would have taken effect on January 1, 2027, if signed into law.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-02 California Legislative Information

    Veto sustained.

  2. 2026-03-02 California Legislative Information

    Stricken from file.

  3. 2025-10-13 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending.

  4. 2025-10-13 California Legislative Information

    Vetoed by the Governor.

  5. 2025-09-22 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.

  6. 2025-09-11 California Legislative Information

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 8. Page 2919.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  7. 2025-09-11 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  8. 2025-09-10 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 51. Noes 2. Page 3238.) Ordered to the Senate.

  9. 2025-09-03 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  10. 2025-09-02 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  11. 2025-08-29 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (August 29).

  12. 2025-08-20 California Legislative Information

    August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  13. 2025-07-10 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  14. 2025-07-09 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 8).

  15. 2025-06-25 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  16. 2025-06-25 California Legislative Information

    Coauthors revised.

  17. 2025-06-19 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.

  18. 2025-06-16 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and JUD.

  19. 2025-06-05 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  20. 2025-06-04 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 29. Noes 4. Page 1519.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  21. 2025-05-27 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  22. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  23. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 1212.) (May 23).

  24. 2025-05-16 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 23.

  25. 2025-05-12 California Legislative Information

    May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.

  26. 2025-05-02 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 12.

  27. 2025-04-30 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0. Page 943.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  28. 2025-04-22 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 29.

  29. 2025-04-02 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  30. 2025-03-25 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

  31. 2025-03-25 California Legislative Information

    Withdrawn from committee.

  32. 2025-03-24 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED.

  33. 2025-03-12 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on ED.

  34. 2025-02-24 California Legislative Information

    Read first time.

  35. 2025-02-24 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.

  36. 2025-02-21 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 771, Stern.
Personal rights: liability: social media platforms.
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 generally prohibits a person from using violence or intimidation to interfere with another person’s enjoyment of certain rights or because of certain attributes of that person, including the person’s political affiliation, race, or sexual orientation, and punishes violations of that law with certain civil penalties or as misdemeanors, as prescribed.
This bill would make a social media platform, as defined, that violates the above-referenced provisions
of law relating to personal rights through its algorithms that relay content to users or aids, abets, acts in concert, or conspires in violation of those laws, or is a joint tortfeasor in an action alleging a violation of those laws, liable for specified civil penalties. The bill would declare its provisions to be severable and would declare attempted waiver of its provisions to be void and unenforceable.
This bill would become operative on January 1, 2027.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Download Bill PDF