California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a letter to executives at eight major social media and artificial intelligence (AI) companies, urging them to address the spread of election misinformation on their platforms. The letter was sent to Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms, Inc., Microsoft, Inc., Open AI, Inc., Reddit Inc., TikTok Inc., X Corp., and YouTube, Inc.
Bonta emphasized that existing California laws prohibit certain types of voter intimidation, deception, and dissuasion. He reminded the companies that these laws might apply to content posted on social media platforms and generated by AI.
“The California Department of Justice is charged with protecting the rights of our residents. This is a responsibility I take seriously,” said Attorney General Bonta. “That is why I am urging social media and AI companies to understand existing California laws and address the deception that our voters are being exposed to when it comes to their constitutional right to vote. Those deceptive activities must be better identified and reported to law enforcement — I am fully committed to working with the companies to that end. We cannot allow bad actors, whether foreign or domestic, to continue to threaten the sanctity of our democracy.”
The letter highlights several key points:
- Millions of Californians rely on social media and AI services for news and information about upcoming elections.
- The 2020 general election saw a significant increase in misinformation about voting on social media platforms.
- AI has been used in attempts to deceive voters; for instance, thousands of registered voters in New Hampshire received an automated voice message impersonating President Biden in January 2024.
- Many social media platforms have reduced or eliminated their internal content-moderation policies.
Attorney General Bonta expressed his willingness for the California Department of Justice to work with these companies using available tools to detect, prevent, and report intentional interference with voting rights.
Bonta's commitment extends beyond this letter. On July 26, 2024, he filed a lawsuit against Fresno County challenging Measure A which moved elections for district attorney and sheriff away from the presidential cycle. Additionally, he joined a coalition supporting Delaware’s early voting law in Albence v. Mennella through an amicus brief filed on April 30, 2024. Further actions include filing lawsuits against Huntington Beach's voter identification law on April 15, 2024; issuing a warning letter about scam election robocalls during New Hampshire's primary election; and supporting plaintiffs challenging Mississippi’s disenfranchisement provisions through an amicus brief filed on December 7, 2023.
A copy of Attorney General Bonta's letter can be found here.