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California
Related: About this forumGovernor Newsom signs data privacy bills to protect tech users
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/08/governor-newsom-signs-data-privacy-bills-to-protect-tech-users/What you need to know:
Governor Newsom signed AB 656, which requires social media companies to make it clear and easy for a user to delete their account and requires that deletion also trigger full deletion of the users personal data. This law builds on the administrations prior work to protect consumers and their privacy.
SACRAMENTO Today, as San Francisco Tech Week 2025 continues, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 656 by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Santa Clarita), requiring social media companies to make canceling an account straightforward and clear and ensuring that cancellation triggers full deletion of the users personal data. The Governor also signed additional laws to help strengthen Californias landmark privacy protections and ensure that consumers have transparent and fair ways to control their own data.
It shouldnt be hard to delete social media accounts, and it shouldnt be even harder to take back control of personal data. With these bills, social media users can be assured that when they delete their accounts, they do not leave their data behind.
Governor Gavin Newsom
Social media users deserve to have the confidence that they can easily delete their account and when they do that their personal information is deleted too, said Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo. Im grateful that with the signing of AB 656, California is putting consumers first.
These laws build on the Governors prior work to protect consumers and their privacy. That includes last years Click to Cancel bill, AB 2863 by Assemblymember Schiavo, that made it easier to cancel subscriptions, and 2023s SB 362 by Senator Josh Becker, the DELETE Act, which, beginning in August 2026, will allow Californians to delete all of their data held by data brokers through a single interface.
Giving consumers more control of their data
Governor Newsom also signed two additional bills to help consumers maintain better control of their data:
SB 361 by Senator Josh Becker, which strengthens the Data Broker Registration Law by providing consumers with more information about the personal information collected by data brokers and who may have access to consumers data.
AB 566 by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, which helps consumers exercise their opt-out rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act by requiring browsers to include a setting to send websites an opt-out preference signal to enable Californians to opt out of third-party sales of their data at one time instead of on each individual website.
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Governor Newsom signs data privacy bills to protect tech users (Original Post)
usonian
Thursday
OP
JoseBalow
(8,648 posts)1. Would this apply to DU, or nah?
Is a discussion forum like DU considered "social media?"
... make canceling an account straightforward and clear and ensuring that cancellation triggers full deletion of the users personal data.
A far as I know, there is no easy way to to this here, just manually search and delete individual posts one by one. usonian
(21,339 posts)2. I'd have to read through to see if it's CA users or companies.
Just saw it now.
https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB656/2025
Got great eyes and a big monitor?
Loophole. Everything here is searched and indexed by search engines, perhaps by "AI and IA" , (play on acronyms) so the only really private data is squirreled secretly in your profile.
DU scores high on search engines.
JoseBalow
(8,648 posts)3. Ah, just read this part from the bill...
TITLE 25. Social Media Platforms Endangering Californians
3273.90. As used in this title:
- snip -
(d) Social media platform means a social media platform, as defined in Section 22675 of the Business and Professions Code, that generates more than one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) per year in gross revenues.
https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB656/2025/

3273.90. As used in this title:
- snip -
(d) Social media platform means a social media platform, as defined in Section 22675 of the Business and Professions Code, that generates more than one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) per year in gross revenues.
https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB656/2025/
