GovernanceCore
EnforcedUnited States, California

California Bot Disclosure Act (B.O.T. Act)

Makes it unlawful to use a bot to mislead people about its artificial identity in commercial or electoral contexts. An early chatbot disclosure rule that remains in force.

Status
Enforced
Jurisdiction
United States, California · State
Adopted
Sep 28, 2018
In force
Jul 1, 2019
Enforcement date
Jul 1, 2019
Regulator / body
California Attorney General
Sectors
Cross-sector
Extraterritorial
No

Key dates

  • Sep 28, 2018
    Signed into law
  • Jul 1, 2019
    In force

Risk areas addressed

TransparencyConsumer protection

Who it applies to

Anyone using an automated online bot to communicate with Californians to influence a commercial transaction or a vote.

Penalties & enforcement

Enforceable under California unfair-competition law.

Enforced by: California Attorney General

Getting ready

California SB 1001 is enforced by California Attorney General. Its obligations are already live, so a gap is a present exposure rather than a future one. In practice that means knowing which of your AI systems fall in scope across every sector you operate in, holding assessments that speak to transparency and consumer protection, and being able to produce that evidence on request.

Official source

California Legislature, SB 1001 ↗

Related regulations

← All regulations