Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Digital Privacy Account Deletion topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves bill to make deleting social media accounts easier and to align deletion with CCPA rights
Summary
AB 656 would require platforms to make account deletion straightforward and to delete associated personal information consistent with the California Consumer Privacy Act. The committee approved the measure as amended after sponsors accepted changes to narrow some requirements.
Assemblymember Schiavo’s AB 656, intended to simplify the process for Californians to delete social media accounts and remove personal information, advanced from the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee after the author accepted committee amendments.
The bill targets “dark patterns” and designs that make account deletion difficult, requiring platforms to surface a clear delete option in settings rather than burying it across multiple menus. The chair’s amendments narrowed the presentation requirement to a visible option within settings and aligned deletion of “personal information” with existing CCPA definitions and timelines.
Robert Hurrell of the Consumer Federation of California, sponsor of the bill, summarized the problem with screenshots and a “secret‑shopper” demonstration, arguing that some deletion workflows require more than 20 steps and that consumers should not have to navigate a “Kafkaesque nightmare.” Becca Kramer of Kaiser Advocacy and other consumer groups testified in support.
TechNet testified in respectful opposition, saying it continued to work with the author. Committee members raised practical concerns about accidental deletions and how deletion requests interact with platforms’ terms of service and existing CCPA timelines. The author and staff said the amendments were intended to harmonize the bill with the CCPA and limit new, separate timelines.
Committee members expressed bipartisan support for the amended approach. Assemblymember Ward and others described the changes as a workable middle ground that protects consumers without imposing onerous or visually intrusive UI requirements. The committee recorded a do-pass-as-amended vote; staff reported the committee vote as 9‑0 in favor.
If enacted, AB 656 would require social media platforms operating in California to provide an accessible account‑deletion pathway and to comply with CCPA deletion obligations when users request removal of their personal information. Supporters said the measure aims to reduce platform addiction and give consumers control over their digital footprints; opponents sought additional technical clarifications.
