LOS ANGELES—A bipartisan proposal that would require age verification at the app store level advanced to the desk of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, in a morning vote on Saturday, reports Politico. Newsom is expected to sign the bill into law as a nod to online child safety legislative trends.
Assembly Bill (AB) 1043, introduced by Democratic state Asm. Buffy Wicks, is dubbed the Digital Age Assurance Act. The bill would require photo identification for age verification, but it puts the requirement on the developers of a particular operating system and providers of an app store to confirm the user's age.
AB 1043 passed the state assembly unanimously with bipartisan support from both sides of the aisle.
California's age assurance measure that specifically targets age verification at the app store or operating system level follows legislative trends set by Utah and Texas.
Large technology companies, including Alphabet-owned Google, Meta Platforms, OpenAI, Snap and Pinterest, have endorsed the bill. Other stakeholder organizations that expressed concern over the app store age assurance measures include the Motion Picture Association, which represents studios owned by Amazon and Netflix.
Newsom has until Oct. 13 to adopt the bill or veto it, notes Politico.
