California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom issued statements today in response to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in NetChoice v. Bonta. The court found that NetChoice did not demonstrate a likelihood of success in proving that most provisions of California's Age-Appropriate Design Code Act are unconstitutional. Specifically, the Ninth Circuit vacated the injunction on provisions restricting the collection, use, and sale of children's data, and on collecting a child's geolocation information without an obvious sign to the child.
"We're pleased that the Ninth Circuit reversed the majority of the district court's injunction, which blocked California’s Age-Appropriate Design Code Act from going into effect," said Attorney General Bonta. "The California Department of Justice remains committed to protecting our kids’ privacy and safety from companies that seek to exploit their online experiences for profit."
"California enacted this nation-leading law to shield kids from predatory practices. Instead of adopting these commonsense protections, NetChoice chose to sue — yet today, the Court largely sided with us," said Governor Newsom. "It's time for NetChoice to drop this reckless lawsuit and support safeguards that protect our kids’ safety and privacy."
A copy of the appellate court’s decision can be found here.