SB1106

THE CONTEXT: A social media platform is an organization that provides a service for public users to disseminate speech, expression, information or other content to other users or the public and includes both the organization and any of its officers, agents, employees, contractors or any other person employed by or acting on behalf of the social media platform, as well subcontractors or entities used to conduct fact-checking or any other activities relating to content modulation.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would specifies a Platform may deplatform a candidate for public office as allowed under the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996 from the date of the candidate's qualification to the date of the election or cessation of candidacy, stipulate the Secretary of State may, upon finding that a Platform has violated the candidate deplatforming restriction, impose a civil penalty of: a) $250,000 per day for deplatforming a candidate for statewide office; and b) $25,000 per day for deplatforming a candidate for any other office, and mandate the Platform to publish the standards used for determining how it will deplatform the Platform's users.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to make the government process for social media platforms more definite and accountable. It would specifies a Platform may deplatform a candidate for public office as allowed under the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996 from the date of the candidate's qualification to the date of the election or cessation of candidacy, and would also stipulate the Secretary of State may, upon finding that a Platform has violated the candidate deplatforming restriction, impose a civil penalty of: a) $250,000 per day for deplatforming a candidate for statewide office; and b) $25,000 per day for deplatforming a candidate for any other office, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.