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<ns0:Id>20250AB__185697AMD</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-11</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_ASSEMBLY</ns0:ActionText>
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<ns0:ActionDate>2026-04-06</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Wicks</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Wicks</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Sections 1798.500, 1798.501, and 1798.502 of the Civil Code, relating to consumer protection.</ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>consumer protection</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Age verification signals: software applications and online services.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law, the Digital Age Assurance Act, beginning January 1, 2027, requires, among other things related to age verification with respect to software applications, an operating system provider, as defined, to provide an accessible interface at account setup that requires an account holder, as defined, to indicate the birth date, age, or both, of the user of that device for the purpose of providing a signal regarding the user’s age bracket to applications available in a covered application store. Existing law defines the term “user” for these purposes to mean a child that is the primary user of a device.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would, among other things,
delete that definition of “user” and would specify that the requirement of an operating system provider to provide an accessible interface applies if the operating system provider’s operating system has an account setup feature with respect to the use of the operating system on a particular device.</html:p>
<html:p> Existing law deems a developer that receives a signal pursuant to these provisions to have actual knowledge of the age range of the user to whom that signal pertains across all platforms of the application and points of access of the application even if the developer willfully disregards the signal.</html:p>
<html:p> This
bill would recast those provisions to instead deem a developer that receives a signal to have actual knowledge of the age range of the user to whom that signal pertains when the user accesses the application from a specified device and would delete the provision that deems the developer to have actual knowledge across all platforms of the application and points of access of the application. The bill would define “application” for these purposes to also include, with certain exceptions, an online service, product, or feature.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 1798.500 of the
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is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>1798.500.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>For the purposes of this title:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Account holder” means an individual who is at least 18 years of age or a parent or legal guardian of a user who is under 18 years of age in the state.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Account holder” does not include a parent of an emancipated minor or a parent or legal guardian who is not associated with a user’s device.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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“Age bracket data” means nonpersonally identifiable data derived from a user’s birth date or age for the purpose of sharing with developers of applications that indicates the user’s age range, including, at a minimum, the
following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Whether a user is under 13 years of age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Whether the user is at least 13 years of age and under 16 years of age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Whether the user is at least 16 years of age and under 18 years of age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Whether the user is at least 18 years of age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Application” means a software application or online service, product, or feature that may be run or directed by a user on a computer, a mobile device, or any other general purpose computing device that can access a covered application store or
download an application.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Child” means a natural person who is under 18 years of age.
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<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
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“Covered application store” means a publicly available internet website, software application, online service, or platform that distributes and facilitates the download of applications from third-party developers to users of a computer, a mobile device, or any other general purpose computing that can access a covered application store or can download an application.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Covered application store” does not mean an online service or platform that distributes extensions, plug-ins, add-ons, or other software applications that run exclusively within a separate host application.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(f)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Developer” means a person that owns, maintains, or controls an application.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(g)
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“Online service, product, or feature” does not mean any of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A broadband internet access service, as defined in Section 3100.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A telecommunications service, as defined in Section 153 of Title 47 of the United States Code.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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The delivery or use of a physical product.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(h)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Operating system provider” means a person or entity that develops, licenses, or controls the operating system software on a computer, mobile device, or any other general purpose computing
device.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(i)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Signal” means age bracket data that pertains to the primary user of a device sent by a real-time secure application programming interface or operating system to an application.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Section 1798.501 of the
<ns0:DocName>Civil Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>1798.501.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
If an operating system provider’s operating system has an account setup feature with respect to the use of the operating system on a particular device, an operating system provider shall do all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Provide an accessible interface, at account setup, that requires an account holder to indicate the birth date, age, or both, of the primary user of that device for the purpose of providing a signal regarding the primary user’s age bracket to applications available in a covered application store.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Provide a
developer who has requested a signal with respect to a particular user with a digital signal via a reasonably consistent real-time application programming interface that identifies, at a minimum, which of the following categories pertains to the user:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Under 13 years of age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
At least 13 years of age and under 16 years of age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
At least 16 years of age and under 18 years of age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(D)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
At least 18 years of age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Send only the minimum amount of information necessary to comply with this title.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
An operating system provider shall
not share the digital signal information with a third party for a purpose not required by this title.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A developer shall request a signal with respect to a particular user from an operating system provider or a covered application store when the application is downloaded onto, and launched from, a particular device.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A developer that receives a signal pursuant to this title shall be deemed to have actual knowledge of the age range of the user to whom that signal pertains when the user accesses the application from the device referenced in paragraph (1) even if
the developer willfully disregards the signal.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A developer shall not willfully disregard internal clear and convincing information otherwise available to the developer that indicates that a user’s age is different than the age bracket data indicated by a signal provided by an operating system provider or a covered application store.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a developer shall treat a signal received pursuant to this title as the primary indicator of a user’s age range for purposes of determining the user’s age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(i)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
If a developer has internal clear and convincing information that a user’s age is different than the age indicated by a signal received pursuant to this title, the developer shall use that information as the primary indicator of the user’s age.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(ii)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
As used in this subparagraph, “clear and convincing information” includes, but is not limited to, age information shared with a developer by an account holder regarding the age of a user of a subaccount of the primary account of the account holder.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A developer that receives a signal pursuant to this title shall use that signal to comply with applicable law but shall not do either of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Request more information from an operating system provider or a covered application store than the minimum amount of information necessary to comply with this title.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Share the signal with a third party for a purpose not required by this title.
</html:p>
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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Section 1798.502 of the
<ns0:DocName>Civil Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>1798.502.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
With respect to a device for which account setup was completed before January 1, 2027, an operating system provider shall, before July 1, 2027, provide an accessible interface that allows an account holder to indicate the birth date, age, or both, of the primary user of that device for the purpose of providing a signal regarding the primary user’s age bracket to applications available in a covered application store.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
If an application last updated with updates on or after January 1, 2026, was downloaded to a device before January 1, 2027, and a developer has not requested a signal with respect to the user of the device on which the application was downloaded, the developer
shall request a signal from a covered application store or an operating system provider with respect to that user before July 1, 2027.
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