Personal rights: liability: social media platforms.

Senator Stern's social media accountability legislation establishes civil penalties for platforms that violate California's personal rights laws through their content delivery systems. The measure applies to social media companies generating over $100 million in annual revenue and creates a tiered penalty structure for violations of existing state protections against discrimination and intimidation.

The bill introduces specific monetary penalties based on the nature of the violation, with fines up to $1 million for intentional or willful infractions and up to $500,000 for reckless violations. When platforms knew or should have known that affected users were minors, courts may double these penalties. The legislation explicitly addresses algorithmic content delivery, treating a platform's use of algorithms as distinct from the content itself while holding companies responsible for understanding how their systems distribute material to users.

Under the measure's provisions, social media platforms face liability whether violations occur directly or through aiding, abetting, or conspiring with others. The bill includes standard administrative provisions declaring its sections severable and preventing companies from requiring users to waive their rights under the law. These new requirements supplement existing regulations requiring platforms to maintain transparent terms of service and protect users from discriminatory interference with their civil rights.