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Assembly committee advances SB 771 to hold platforms liable when algorithms 'aid and abet' online harms
Summary
SB 771, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener and presented by Sen. Scott Wiener? (presenter Senator Stern), was passed by the committee after a long hearing with major civil-rights groups supporting the bill and tech and industry groups opposing it on First Amendment and Section 230 grounds; the clerk recorded an 11-1 vote.
The committee voted to pass SB 771, a measure intended to make social platforms more accountable when algorithmic design or conduct materially facilitates hate, harassment or real‑world harms.
Sen. Henry Stern presented the bill and said it clarifies that platforms can be liable under existing California statutes — including civil rights and anti‑harassment laws — for their design choices or algorithmic distribution when those choices foreseeably contribute to violence, intimidation, or organized harassment.…
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