New legislation signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom strengthens disclosure requirements for online influencers who are paid to post about politics.
The New York Times reports that California already required disclosure for influencers who posted about state or local races, but when someone didn’t do so, there were no fines or criminal penalties. (Texas also requires disclosure of paid political content, and other states are considering similar regulations.)
Under the new bill, AB 1130, regulators can fine influencers up to $5,000 for each violation, and can also refer them to authorities for potential misdemeanors.
According to the NYT, billionaire Tom Steyer, who unsuccessfully campaigned for the Democratic nomination for governor of California earlier this year, paid dozens of influencers to post about his campaign online, and many of them initially did not disclose the payments.
Newsom signed the legislation as part of a broader package of bills that his office says will protect against potential election interference by President Donald Trump. The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Assemblyman Marc Berman, said he introduced the bill after realizing there was “a little bit of ambiguity about the [existing] law and how it is applied