California introduces fines for undisclosed political advertising — TechCrunch
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1130 into law, which provides for sanctions against online influencers who fail to disclose payment for political posts. Regulators will be able to fine them up to $5,000 for each violation and refer cases to law enforcement agencies to consider possible offenses.
New sanctions
As TechCrunch reports, citing The New York Times, California had previously required influencers to disclose paid content concerning state-level elections or local races. However, no fines or criminal penalties were предусмотрены for violating this requirement.
Texas also has requirements to disclose paid political content, while other states are considering similar regulation.
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Example involving Steyer's campaign
According to The New York Times, billionaire Tom Steyer, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party's nomination for governor of California, paid dozens of influencers for posts about his campaign. Many of them initially did not disclose the payment.
Newsom signed the law as part of a broader package of legislative initiatives that his office linked to protection against potential election interference by President Donald Trump. The bill's author, Democratic California Assemblymember Mark Berman, said he initiated it because of ambiguity in the current law and its enforcement mechanisms.
