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California has introduced tougher enforcement rules for influencers who are paid to post political content without telling their audiences.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1130, which strengthens existing disclosure requirements for paid political posts. California already required influencers to disclose when a political committee paid them to publish content, but the previous rules did not allow regulators to impose administrative, civil or criminal penalties directly on the person who failed to disclose it.
Under the new law, influencers can face fines of up to $5,000 for each violation, and cases can also be referred for possible misdemeanor enforcement.
The legislation comes as political campaigns increasingly use social-media creators to reach audiences. A recent California campaign involving billionaire Tom Steyer reportedly paid dozens of influencers to promote his candidacy, with some posts initially failing to disclose the payments.
The basic principle behind the new enforcement system is straightforward: if a political message appears to be a creator’s personal opinion but they have actually been paid to publish it, audiences should be told.
The measure doesn’t prohibit influencers from promoting candidates or political causes. It requires paid political promotion to be identified as such — giving viewers more information about the relationship behind the message.
