California legislator Ed Chau withdrew A.B. 1104 that banned online fake news after withering critiques about the constitutionality of the measure. (The Wrap, March 28, 2017, by Susan Seager)
The California State Assembly is considering A.B. 1104 that would make it illegal to publish fake news online about issues before voters in an election and fake news concerning election candidates. Assemblyman Ed Chau is concerned about the impact of lies circulated through social media during the 2016 election. (Electronic Frontier Foundation, March 27, 2017, by Dave Maass)
“Yes, merely posting or sharing something that turns out to be wrong or ‘deceptive’ related to anyone or any issue related to an election could violate the law,” writes Mike Masnick in techdirt, March 28, 2017.