Two CA Firsts! New Senate Committee on Tech Meets for the First Time

This week’s inaugural meeting of the Privacy, Digital Technologies and Consumer Protections Committee marks an important moment for California. It reflects a belief that innovation and strong consumer protections can advance together, and that thoughtful policies can ensure people benefit from new technologies while staying safe in an increasingly connected world. 

“The committee’s launch signals real momentum and an opportunity to build a digital future that is safer, more transparent, and more empowering for all Californians,” said Senator Christopher Cabaldon. “There’s real opportunity ahead, and our work begins with a sense of optimism about what’s possible.”

The committee heard testimony about the opportunities and challenges emerging technologies present including protecting genuine public comment from AI spamming, safeguarding children from chatbot toys that can access dangerous internet content, limiting the sharing of sexual orientation data collected by the state and making sure the proliferation of fake sexual images featuring real people does not become the newest form of digital exploitation. 

Senator Cabaldon is the Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protections Committee Chair.