New California law will penalize influencers who don’t disclose political ads
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1130, penalizing online influencers up to $5,000 per violation for failing to disclose paid political content.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- California passed AB 1130 to penalize influencers failing to disclose paid political posts.
- Violators face fines up to $5,000 per offense or potential misdemeanor referrals.
- Assemblyman Marc Berman introduced the bill addressing enforcement ambiguity.
- Billionaire Tom Steyer previously paid influencers for campaign posts without disclosures.
A newly signed legislation by California Governor Gavin Newsom introduces strict penalties for online influencers who are paid to post political content without proper disclosure. According to The New York Times, California previously required disclosures for state or local race posts, but violators faced no fines or criminal penalties.
Under the new bill, designated as AB 1130, regulators can impose fines of up to $5,000 for each individual violation. Furthermore, regulators have the authority to refer non-compliant influencers to law enforcement for potential misdemeanor charges.
The legislation follows reports from The New York Times that billionaire Tom Steyer, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for California governor earlier this year, hired dozens of influencers to post about his campaign online without initially disclosing the payments.
"a bit of ambiguity about the law and how it’s enforced"
Marc Berman
Governor Newsom signed this bill alongside a broader package intended to safeguard against potential election interference from President Donald Trump. Democratic Assemblyman Marc Berman, the bill's sponsor, stated he introduced the legislation after identifying ambiguity regarding the existing law and its enforcement mechanisms.
The tightening regulations around influencer marketing in political campaigns highlight growing concerns over transparency in digital media. As states like California and Texas implement concrete financial penalties, digital campaign transparency laws are evolving rapidly to close regulatory loopholes.
Source: TechCrunch
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